Poll shows support for modern voting technology
The Arlington, Va.-based Information Technology Association of America and Blue Bell, Pa.-based Unisys have released results of a survey showing support for modernization of voting technology in the United States. According to the results, 69 percent of respondents believe that using new technologies to modernize voting systems would produce more accurate results.
Sixty-one percent of those surveyed approve of tax dollars being used to improve and modernize voting systems, and 70 percent support special programs to assist low-income communities in improving and modernizing their voting systems. Additionally, the survey found that 90 percent of respondents support having uniform voting systems throughout a state to make the voting process identical in every precinct.
The poll also found that 47 percent of respondents would be more likely to vote if the systems at their precincts were modernized to make the voting process easier to understand. In addition, 71 percent said their local elections board should establish a Web site containing voting information such as registration status, sample ballots and polling locations.
Using the Internet to vote received support from only 39 percent of respondents, but the survey found 60 percent of respondents aged 18–24 support the idea. “The ITAA survey indicates that Americans support the role of technology in improving election processes — from the time they register to vote through casting ballots to reporting the election results,” says Barry Lurie, vice president and managing principal for Unisys North American Public Sector.
The telephone survey of 1,000 Americans was conducted March 5–8, 2001, by The Winston Group and Fabrizio McLaughlin. The survey has a margin of error of +/- 3.1 percent.
For more information, visit www.itaa.org.