In the wake of Hurricane Sandy, I have seen the question asked time and time again about the type of impact that this disaster will have on the 2012 presidential election.
If you look purely at voter turnout, it could have a huge impact on how many people actually get out to vote. It may not sway the overall results of the election this time, because this storm didn’t heavily impact influential swing states, but ask yourself – What would happen if a blizzard hit a swing state such as Colorado? Or if a tropical storm bogged down a section of Florida that kept a few counties from voting, but one that didn’t effect the rest of the state, possibly swaying towards one candidate?
This is why we need to be asking ourselves if should we be able to vote online for elections?
This year in New Jersey, you are able to fax or email your ballot due to the complications in travel because of Hurricane Sandy. This raises many questions about How secure is your electronic vote?.
Many Critics say voting systems may be vulnerable to hacking. This may be true right now, but we need to find a way to allow people to securely vote online in the future. Not only will this raise voter turnout, but it will help ensure that the election process is not hindered in the event of a natural disaster, or any other disaster for that matter.
Nick Coy
NeoCertified — Director of Marketing
