A new bill expected to be passed this week in Puerto Rico could have its citizens voting online only for the next eight years, removing the global method of manual voting at polling centres. However, with the island lacking the necessary resources to protect its votes when it makes this transition, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), has called on the Governor to veto the bill.
Online Voting makes the Electoral Process Vulnerable – ACLU
In a letter addressed to Governor Wanda Vázquez Garced, the civil liberties union urged the Governor to veto Senate Bill 1314 also known as the Puerto Rico Electoral of 2019, which according to its text would “empower voters by facilitating their access to processes related to the exercise of their right to vote,” and would take multiple steps to revamp the voting process in Puerto Rico, such as restructuring the main election commission.
“There is a strong, firm and unanimous consensus among computer scientists that Internet voting cannot be carried out safely and should not be used for general elections since the risk of undetectable manipulation is too real and accurate. Manipulating elections without detection is extremely simple for the sophisticated hackers of this era. Unfortunately, this knowledge has not stopped well-intentioned but poorly informed governors to promote Internet voting. But government promotion makes it neither safe nor judicious,” Susan Greenhalgh, the vice president of policy and programs at the bipartisan National Election Defense Coalition, explained in the letter.
If the proposal becomes law, online voting would be phased in slowly starting from a pilot program starting in the 2020 general elections, followed by the island’s primaries in 2024 and then mandating the State Elections Commission (CEE) to implement online voting completely by the 2028 general elections.
While the proposed bill doesn’t exactly state how the online voting process would be carried out, the ACLU has expressed fears over the repercussions that might follow its implementation, “This measure is misguided, dangerous, and will needlessly expose Puerto Rico’s voting system to hacking and disruption,” the ACLU told the governor.
Puerto Rico Lacks the Necessary Infrastructure
“Hurricane María and recent earthquakes along the southern coast have made clear that the island’s infrastructure—particularly, electrical power systems essential to internet access—remains precarious; it would be reckless to trust all voting systems to its well-being,” the ACLU letter reads.
Although other US states and countries have tried out online voting using smartphone apps and other online routes, none has come close to what Puerto Rico is proposing.
