The use of new technologies in elections has emerged as a key issue in recent years, with concerns about database hacking, media manipulation, and foreign technological interference leading to public concern and debate around the world. Recent examples make the relevance of this issue clear. The U.S. Senate Intelligence Committee found evidence of Russian interference and media manipulation in the 2016 American presidential election. Estonia’s widely respected identity card system, which is used for i- voting in elections and access to government services, was recently found to be susceptible to identity theft. Meanwhile, social media has opened up a new domain of political interactions, as illustrated by claims of Russian bots trying to influence the 2016 Brexit referendum.
While technology has been used in elections for decades, in the form of electronic voting machines and digital registration databases, the explosion of new technologies and increased access to these technologies by citizens and election administrators, demands further academic consideration. This presentation responds to two major questions, regarding the use of technology in elections around the world:
1) How is technology used in each stage of the electoral cycle? How prevalent is their usage? and 2) What are the major security concerns that should be considered? Where is Canada most vulnerable to security issues?
