This Monday, you will not be able to vote online. But after the pre-vote has taken place, this new mode of participation in our democratic lives can soon be invited to be implemented. Prospect seduces you as much as it worries you.
Last week, we asked you if you’d like to implement online voting in Quebec. And despite the huge turnout, she couldn’t decide:
- 50%: Yes, it is necessary to modernize democracy.
- 50%: No, there are too many fraud risks on the Internet.
Note that the other suggested answers didn’t get any votes:
- Yes, but not for the most important election.
- No, we must preserve the sanctity of voting at the polls.
- Does not speak.
In 2019, Elections Quebec conducted a comprehensive study and citizen advisory on the topic of online voting. When questioned by phone, 57% of Quebecers said they support this technology. But when they were quizzed online, that percentage rose to 76%.
However, the Foundation cannot make an opinion as conclusive as the advice alone might imagine. Indeed, in addition to the obvious concerns regarding voting security, unequal access to the Internet in Quebec is another major obstacle to popularizing online voting.
“Voting by Internet is part of this continuing desire to make voting more accessible. However, our study highlights various democratic, social and technical issues related to the introduction of this method of voting, which we must take into account in order to maintain election integrity and voter confidence. If Quebec wants to use online voting in the future, we will have to invest the necessary time and resources in it, and proceed step by step and carefully. That is why I want to continue the work without delay.said Pierre Reid, chief election officer.
Therefore, the application of this technology requires that the entire region be covered by a high-quality Internet network. And just for that, we understand that many Quebecers are impatient.
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