Electoral Body Suggests Australia Adopt National Digital Voting System

A woman arrives to vote past electoral placards featuring photos of Bill Shorten, Leader of the Australian Labor Party and Malcolm Turnbull, Leader of the Liberal Party of Australia outside of a pre-poll voting centre for the 2016 federal election on June 16, 2016 in Melbourne, Australia. (Scott Barbour/Getty Images)

The electoral body of Australia’s most populous state is recommending the gradual adoption of a national electronic voting system in the country, along with moves to adopt a national ID next year.

The New South Wales Electoral Commission’s review into “technology-assisted voting (TAVs)” examines whether technology should be included in the electoral process to not only make voting easier for disabled individuals but to also bring government services up to date with the “digital age.”

“A common national election technology system would project electoral transparency consistent with Australia’s democratic conventions and values, and promote a consistent elections experience for citizens, with national privacy, identity, and cyber security assurance,” according to the NSW Commission’s interim August report.

“The development and operation of this technology could be undertaken by a standing national elections delivery agency,” it continued. “Its role would include the design, risk assessment, and delivery of digital elections platforms, including for voting, for use by all jurisdictions for respective elections and referenda.”

A person casts their vote during Australia's general election at a polling station at Bondi Beach in Sydney on May 21, 2022. (Steven Saphore/AFP via Getty Images)

Learn from the Real Estate Model

The Commission said the state could consider adopting a model currently used by the real estate industry, PEXA, for standardising conveyancing across Australian jurisdictions.

“The type of body to undertake the role could follow several models ... PEXA was established following a 2011 intergovernmental agreement on national conveyancing to build and operate a single national electronic system for the settling of real property transactions in all Australian states and territories.”

The agreement also saw the Australian Registrars’ National Electronic Conveyancing Council established, comprising the registrar for land titles in each jurisdiction, to streamline cooperation.

Further, the report said that given Australia already centralised voter registration with the national Australian Electoral Commission, a “‘front door’ for TAV for all jurisdictions could be developed as a feature of a national technical solution.”

Proposal Aligns with National Digital ID

The report cited a 2017 Victorian Parliamentary Committee report that concluded it made “little commercial or economic sense” to have different remote voting systems across the country and to, instead, prioritise a national “electronic voting capability.”

It also cited National Cabinet discussions, between Australian state and territory leaders, in 2020 calling for “government services fit for the digital age,” as well as ongoing moves to establish a national digital ID.

The ID was formed under the previous Coalition government and will bundle licences, Medicare, passport details, and other documentation onto a single account on a government-run platform.

“If all things line up and we’re able to move pretty swiftly, we could have legislation in place mid-year next year. That’s a pretty tight timeframe, so I don’t want to be held to that. But that’s kind of my roadmap,” said current federal Finance Minister Katy Gallagher on July 25.

A polling officer hands over a ballot paper to a resident at the Australian general elections in Cook electorate of Sydney on May 21, 2022. (Saeed Khan/AFP via Getty Images)

Ms. Gallagher assured senators on Aug. 3, that no corporations would have access to the data.

“We’re certainly making it clear that it’s voluntary. As part of that, the government has to maintain systems that allow people to use and engage with the government without a digital ID,” she told the Senate.

“Ten and a half million people, or a million accounts, are used across 130 different programs. I think people understand, because of all the [cyber] breaches we have had, about the need to look at secure ways to retain your own information and put strong privacy arrangements around it.”

She also pointed to the fact large private enterprises already held “a lot of information” notably with the 100-point check system mandated for banks and telecommunications giants that require from individuals, which may include birth certificates, driver’s licenses, and passports.

“But, obviously, this is legislation that will come to this chamber. I have no doubt it will go through a committee process as well. We are going to release an exposure draft, hopefully around September, so that people will be able to involve themselves in that,” the minister added.

Commission Crosses Line Through Internet Voting

Meanwhile, the report ruled out a widespread roll-out of internet voting saying it was too costly and would pose a threat to electoral integrity.

“The internet voting solution contemplated for electors who are blind or have low vision in 2027 is, despite its small scale, a complex undertaking requiring significant budget commitment from the state for capital and recurrent costs,” said the report.

It said the cost of deploying iVote in NSW, which has since been removed, was $8.1 million (US$5.3 million).

“This figure represents $5.46 million in capital expense and $2.53 million in operating expenses. Recent increases in information hardware and services costs, coupled with additional cyber security requirements, may significantly increase the investment required,” the report said.

Further, the Commission highlights a swathe of other problems including “an unacceptable level of risk to electoral integrity, including risks relating to short lead-times between nomination of candidates and production of ballot papers, technical performance, cyber security, and, potentially, disinformation.”