BY ALICIA DORSET
Clarkston News Staff Writer
Online voting was an added option to this year’s Democratic Caucus, but area officials don’t expect the trend to appear locally for quite some time.
According to Jason Moon of the Michigan Democratic Party, 28 percent of people who voted in the Feb. 7 caucus voted online.
‘Online voting gets more people in the democratic process,? Moon said.
While the party hopes that online voting is a sign of the future, applying it to local elections isn’t going to happen any time soon.
‘We won’t see it for a very long time,? Independence Township Clerk Joan McCrary said. ‘There are too many ways to hack into bigger elections.?
Security is just one of the problems that local officials worry about in terms of online risks. Others include identity fraud and scewing election results.
‘Too many obstacles need to be overcome,? Nancy Strole, Springfield Township Clerk, said.
Online voting has some benefits, however.
‘It’s very convenient, especially with Michigan weather,? Moon said.
Since the Michigan Democratic Party was in charge, local clerks had very little to do with the caucus. McCrary and Strole fielded general questions from residents about online voting and the election itself.
‘There was a lot of misunderstanding,? McCrary said.
The idea of people voting online with another person’s identity was a problem that concerned Strole.
‘It seems so simple and the way to go, but when you realize how hackers get in, it gives pause to online voting,? Strole said.
Making the voting process go smoothly are optical ballots, a staple in Springfield Township for over 10 years. Michigan recently decided that municipalities must move toward this form of technology.
Independence Township will be receiving new voting equipment in 2005 in accordance with the Help America Vote Act.