UK Election Administrators vote 57% in support of online voting option

57% of delegates at the UK’s Association of Election Administrators’ (AEA) Annual Conference have voted in support of introducing an online voting option in elections. Taking place this week in Brighton, the Conference brings together election administrators from across the UK. Altogether, 64% voted to support online voting in one form or another.

The leading professional body of election administrators, the AEA consists of 1,660 members, the majority of whom are employed by local authorities to provide electoral registration and election services.

When asked about whether or not electors should be able to vote online in elections, 57% of delegates said it should be introduced but only as an option alongside existing methods of voting. This is the position advocated by WebRoots Democracy. A further 7% said there should be only online voting in elections.

The delegates’ vote is an expression of opinion, and is not a binding vote or AEA policy.

Should online voting be available? 57% of our delegates say that it should be an option #AEABrighton2017 pic.twitter.com/qmDQBmTefV

— AEA (@AEA_Elections) February 6, 2017

Chris Skidmore MP, the Minister for the Constitution will be addressing the conference in Brighton. His predecessor, John Penrose MP, said that online voting is being kept ‘under close review’ and opinion polls have repeatedly shown the majority of the British public in favour of such a reform.

WebRoots Democracy’s most recent report Democracy 2.0 calls on the Government to begin pilots and to follow through with the Speaker’s Commission recommendation for online voting to be an option in the 2020 General Election.

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