This is the the email that I sent to each of my 4 TDs on the 3rd of December soliciting their position on the electronic voting system being introduced in Ireland.

Deputy [TD Name here],

I am writing to you in relation to the electronic voting system that is being rolled out across the country for the next elections. While I am fully in favour of electronic voting I have some concerns with the Powervote/Nedap solution the Department of the Environment is being implementing at the moment. So I would like to find out what your position is on the system.

The two main concerns I have with the solution being implemented are:

1) The source code for the system is "closed" and not available for examination by the public. I also believe it is not even available to the Department for verification ( This should be fully available for any member of the public to examine. An open source approach, where independent experts can verify the software functionality, is the one adopted in other electronic voting systems, such as those used in Australia. [http://www.wired.com/news/ebiz/0,1272,61045,00.html?tw=wn_tophead_1]

2) There is no voter verification of the vote they have cast. This would be done through a voter confirming that the electronic vote they have cast matches a paper printout (which they cannot retain). The paper votes are also then available for a manual recount if the event that a result is queried.

As a voter, how can I be sure that the vote I cast is the one recorded, and the one that is counted?

Could you let me know what your position is on these aspects of the current system?

Regards

Seamus

Responses
The mail was sent on the 3rd of December. The responses I have received so far are:

• 15 December - Ruairi Quinn
• 16 December - Michael McDowell
• Eoin Ryan - None
• John Gormley - None