27 October 2006

Government officials in Canada have identified accessibility as a key concern when considering whether to implement e-voting systems.

The Internet was considered by government officials as an ideal method to help elderly and disabled individuals to vote in upcoming elections, the Canadian Press reports.

The town of Markham, which used online voting in its last elections, found that Internet users with special requirements were able to vote more easily using the Internet.

Sheila Birrell, town clerk for Markham, commented: "We looked at accessibility and we looked at good customer service.

"There's a lot of elderly people in Markham and disabled people, they didn’t have to leave their home [in the last election]."

Additionally, assistive technology has been brought in by some authorities in a bid to help citizens with motor impairments to vote.

A new hands-free piece of hardware is currently being designed by Election Systems & Software, which allows voters to blow or suck through a straw to register their decision.

In the UK, the Department for Constitutional Affairs recently claimed that e-voting could enable many individuals previously inhibited by disability to take part in the democratic process.

© Adfero Ltd

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