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This evening event will explore the practical and policy issues around electronic voting. It will look at the challenges around designing and managing e-elections, and how new media professionals and policy makers can deliver effective e-voting solutions together.

ICT is invigorating the democratic progress, with the twin promise of reducing administrative costs and boosting turn out. New media platforms such as the web, email, interactive TV and wireless devices all offer new ways of voting, and there is considerable interest in how these can complement or replace the traditional polling booth and postal vote.

At the same time, elections are growing. With increasing numbers of charities, associations and social enterprises – and also a stronger emphasis on sound corporate governance - there is a growing demand for electoral accountability across all sectors. Whether as citizens, shareholders, consumers or stakeholders, people are voting more and more, and there is a growing market for professionals skilled in managing elections.

There is an important role for new media businesses to bring their creative and technical skills to bear in designing e-voting systems. However, the realities of e-voting are complex, and there are a number of issues that must be considered if an effective e-election is to be implemented.

This event will bring together the ‘thinkers and doers’ - policy makers, new media professionals, researchers and those organisations requiring e-voting solutions. A panel of leading experts and practitioners will address such issues as:

• Verification
• Personal security
• Electoral malpractice
• Accessibility

Event Timetable:

6.00pm Introduction, Stephen Coleman,

6.15pm The language and security of e-voting, Jason Kitcat
Why is voting so important and why make a fuss over e-voting? The distinction between remote and polling place e-voting. Examination of the challenges of voter authentication. Discussion of how creating a secure, anonymous and accurate ballot is highly technically challenging. How can e-voting provide a transparent and verifiable count, and thus result? What is e-voting hoping to achieve, and thus far has it shown that it can meet its requirements?

6.30pm Usability issues, Louise Ferguson
Disenfranchised by Design. Badly designed voting technology can create difficulties for voters, and in extreme cases could prevent many from voting as intended. We need to build citizens' trust in future voting technologies by applying good design practice and setting rigorous standards for ease of use and accessibility.

6.45pm Policy Issues: The Electoral Commission, Nicole Smith
The Electoral Commission's role in the electoral modernisation policy process and its approach to modernisation in the context of a wider electoral reform agenda. The role of electoral pilot schemes and the importance of evaluation. Conclusions from e-voting pilots to date and priorities for the future development of electoral modernisation policy.

7.00pm Case Study: Accenture e-Democracy Julia Glidden

7.15pm Panel Discussion

7.45pm Summary, Stephen Coleman

8.00pm Close

Chairman:

Stephen Coleman, Visiting Professor in e-Democracy, Oxford Internet Institute
Formerly Director of the Hansard e-democracy programme, which pioneered online consultations for the UK Parliament, and lecturer in Media and Communication at the London School of Economics and Political Science, Stephen has chaired the Independent Commission on Alternative Voting Methods. At the OII, Professor Coleman will be working on the adaptation of representative institutions in the digital age; the development of spaces for public democratic deliberation; and a global evaluation of a range of e-democracy exercises.

Speakers include:

Nicole Smith, Director of Policy, The Electoral Commission
Nicole is responsible for the Commission’s reviews of electoral law and practice, and identifying ways of encouraging more people to vote. She has written major reports for the Commission on the way that elections are run, and the future shape of elections (including the use of postal voting and electronic voting). Prior to joining the Commission, Nicole spent over 10 years in policy development and management within the Home Office, the voluntary sector and research organisations. From 1995-97, she was Senior Research Fellow and Assistant Director at the think tank, The Constitution Unit.

Jason Kitcat, University of Sussex
Jason Kitcat is a recognised e-government and e-democracy expert and consultant, regularly speaking at conferences and quoted in the media including Newsweek, The Times, The Independent, RTE Radio 1, Salon.com and The Register. He has nearly 10 years experience of working with the Internet having founded or co-founded 5 technology related companies. He holds a BSc (Hons) from the University of Warwick in Computer Science and Management Science, MSc Technology & Innovation Management from the University of Sussex and is currently researching online consultations for a doctorate at SPRU (Science & Technology Policy), University of Sussex. Jason runs the blog www.j-dom.org

Louise Ferguson, Digital Habitats
Louise Ferguson is Director of Digital Habitats, a user experience consultancy addressing the design and evaluation of new technologies. Her clients have included The Work Foundation, Sapient, the DTI, the DWP, Namahn, Ideas Bazaar and PwC. She has organised workshops and seminars on e-voting in the US and the UK, co-leads the Usability Professionals’ Association international Voting and Usability Project and has been invited to contribute her expertise on voting design to the Design Council’s Touching the State project, which researches the design of citizen-state interactions. Louise Ferguson was a research associate on iSociety, a think tank programme investigating the use of new technologies in daily life. She holds a master’s degree in human-computer interaction from the University of Sussex. Louise runs the blog CityofBits: www.louiseferguson.com/cityofbits.htm

Julia Glidden, MD, Accenture e-Democracy Services, UK
Dr. Glidden completed her D.Phil. (Ph.D.) in international relations at Oxford University in 1995 and has extensive experience in enhancing voter participation in the election process. A recognised expert in the field of e-democracy, Dr. Glidden has been invited to participate in numerous global forums on the application of new technologies to the democratic process. Conferences and panels include: The European Commission’s IST Panel on e-Democracy, Nice, France, Conference on e-Government and Technology, Bielefeld, Germany, Democracy Online Forum on the Future of Technology and the Democratic Process, Washington, DC and Conference on e-Government and Democratic Rights, Oxford, England. Dr. Glidden has authored a case study of the use of Internet Voting in the Arizona Presidential Primary, as well as articles on the application election technology in developing democracies and the current deployment of electronic voting equipment in the United States. She participated in the National Democratic Institute’s election monitoring mission to Kyrgyzstan for the November 2000 presidential election. Before joining Accenture eDemocracy Services (formerly election.com), Julia Glidden served as a senior vice president at Fleishman-Hillard, an international communications consultancy.

Please note: Bookings made within three days of this event require credit card payment. Many thanks.

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