NSW takes first steps at restarting internet voting strategy

The NSW Electoral Commission has made the first tentative steps towards reintroducing technology-assisted voting in the state, following the withdrawal of the old iVote system.

On Friday, the commission opened a request for information (RFI), a precursor to launching a formal tender.

The commission wants to “ascertain the availability, suitability and viability of a potential internet voting solution for use by electors who are blind or have low vision at the NSW state general election in 2027”.

The RFI document notes that internet voting "appears to be the preferred way for electors who are blind or have low vision to cast their votes independently and in secret”, and that feasibility of internet voting “is contingent on the availability of suitable market solutions, adequate government funding and legislative reform.”

The RFI assumes that for the 2027 state election, the system would have to support just 4000 low-vision electors, and 1000 that would use operator-assisted telephone voting.

Security is high on the agenda, with the RFI saying that technology assisted voting “has inherent risks that, if they were to materialise, could impact the integrity and delivery of an election.”

Those security risks, the RFI explained, are one of the reasons the system will be limited to supporting low-vision voters in 2027.

The state’s previous iVote system failed during local government elections in 2021.

That led to a decision in January 2022 to shelve the system for “extensive reconfiguration”; and in March 2022, the commission decided iVote could not be fixed in time for the 2023 state election.

In December 2023, the commission published a review into technology-assisted voting, which forecast extensive legislative changes would be needed to support a future reintroduction of the technology.