The controversial online voting system iVote in Successor South Wales will not be used in the 2023 state election, with the electoral commissioner blaming the decision on a lack of trust in a planned new version.
The change comes two months after the NSW Electoral Commission temporarily suspended iVote for state and local government by-elections in order to conduct “extensive reconfigurations and testing.”
Following a bug that prohibited iVote users from voting in recent local government elections, the changes were considered required, casting doubt on the outcomes of at least three ballots.
The NSWEC stated that because the present version of iVote will be phased out between 2022 and 2023, an improved system would not be available in time for the state election.
“Because of the limited timeframe for setting and testing a new version before March 2023, the electoral commissioner cannot be convinced that an upgraded system… will be ready in time,” it stated.
“As a result, the electoral commissioner has decided not to employ iVote in the March 25 [2023] election or any subsequent by-elections between July 1 2022 and March 25 2023.”
According to NSWEC, the decision not to deploy iVote was not motivated by “concerns about cyber security issues in recent elections.”
“In cooperation with the NSW government, the review will assess the framework that controls online voting to check if it is suitable for the context in which it functions and to identify any potential for improvement,” NSWEC stated.
Despite the decision, the NSWEC stated that it is still a “strong supporter of innovation in election delivery,” citing a current collaboration with Service NSW on an election information app.
“The Electoral Commission looks forward to continuing talks on the future of internet voting, as well as exploring additional methods to retain faith in our democratic process by improving public involvement with elections through technology,” the commission said.