Politics

The federal government is letting states know it considers online voting to be a "high-risk" way of running elections even if all recommended security protocols are followed.

It's the latest development in the debate over Internet voting as a few states have announced they plan to offer it to voters with disabilities this year, while security experts have voiced grave warnings against doing so. States Expand Internet Voting Experiments Amid Pandemic, Raising Security Fears The Coronavirus Crisis States Expand Internet Voting Experiments Amid Pandemic, Raising Security Fears

An eight-page report distributed to states last week recommends mail-in ballots as a more secure method of voting. It was co-authored by four federal agencies, including the Department of Homeland Security's Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency.

"We recommend paper ballot return as electronic ballot return technologies are high-risk even with controls in place," says the document, according to a copy obtained by The Wall Street Journal. A source with knowledge of the document confirmed its authenticity to NPR.

I think the only way you could possibly have electronic voting is if you eliminated the secret ballot. But I don't think most people want that to go away - it opens itself up to vote buying and influence peddling by employers - although one could argue that already elected officials have open voting records.