Funferal

The ‘independent’ commission

The government has published the membership of the ‘Independent Commission’ on electronic voting. Unsurprisingly it has come under fire from other parties, with Pat Rabitte decrying the lack of consultation with the opposition.
From our point of view I can identify the following problems (some of which have been raised by others previously):

• The terms of reference are too narrow, and prevent a full and proper consideration of the rationale for proceeding with electronic voting.
• The Clerks of the Dáil and Seanad are meant to be impartial administrators – not inquisitors. There are other impartial officers who are meant to investigate issues – such as the Ombudswoman. The Ombudswoman has not been appointed because she has already questioned electronic voting. Not surprising, but her position is one better suited to investigation and objectively she should be on the panel.
• A panel such as this, which is meant to diffuse cross-party tension and build a national consensus, should have been appointed in consultation with non-government parties.

Notwithstanding this, we will shortly start work on a submission to this body (once they publish their call for submissions). We will concentrate, in part, on the fact that it is impossible for a member of the public to assess the trustworthiness of the system – and thus make a fully informed comment – due to the lack of a possibility of independent verification. We will also look for ways to involve interested members and supporters in the process – perhaps through a wiki or similar system.