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I’m the proud father of a couple of magnificent specimens — school leavers, entering the world, making their way. They did, however, make a minor gaffe recently that had me scratching my head — they had their water cut off. Can’t afford the bills? No. They seem to have missed the parental lesson where I was supposed to impart knowledge of the joys of mail collection — that concept whereby someone comes home from a day on the moors and checks the mailbox on the way in to see if they have a card from a long-time friend, or more realistically an informative missive detailing the impending cut-off of the water supply. I have personally spoken to other parents who are scratching their heads upon learning that they too have neglected to pass on the concept of mail collection. And don’t even ask me to describe the time I saw someone pressing a stamp and wondering why it kept falling off an envelope. It appears that the concept of licking the thing was gone in the mists of time.

So why am I continuing to read statements telling me that the government is going to conduct a plebiscite on marriage equality by post? The price tag seems to have fallen from $170 million for a full plebiscite to a postal survey costing $122 million, but is a postal return the best option?

It’s fair to say I’ve dabbled around elections a little, as I’m the director of Scytl, which implemented the iVote online voting system used in New South Wales and Western Australia for state elections and byelections. Hanging around elections teaches you things, like the reality that people have interests in the outcome and they desire confidence in that outcome. Significant efforts are expended in Australia to enhance the security profile and confidence in the outcome of elections. Factors in electoral outcomes tie back to whether all the voters feel part of the process, that their vote counts, and that their vote goes where they want it to.  

Given the problems with postal voting (as outlined by Malcolm Turnbull), why have a postal vote at all?

An alternative to postal voting is online voting. The design of a secure online voting system, such as iVote, which has been used in NSW and WA, is based heavily on the postal system, with the added benefit that tampering with the system or the votes themselves can be determined and investigated. In the real world of the postal ballot that is a challenge or not even possible. In a postal ballot can I determine that my ballot was received into the ballot box? In a postal ballot can I have it confirmed that my ballot wasn’t changed when it was on its way into the ballot box? What do I do if I think someone stole my ballot paper from my mailbox? These are issues that are addressed by modern secure electronic voting systems.

Secure online voting systems are subject to extensive scrutiny, research, and analysis — all to make the systems resilient and resistant to attack. Verification systems can be used that give voters comfort that their vote is recorded as they intended within the ballot box — imagine trying to get that to work with a postal ballot.

If you are looking at a postal ballot, for whatever reason, seriously consider looking at an internet-delivered ballot. It would be vastly cheaper and also something my parents and kids could use. Or you could drop the plebiscite entirely, save an awful lot of money and hold a vote in parliament tomorrow. 

*Sam Campbell is a director of Scytl Australia Pty. Ltd and has worked in the IT industry for over 25 years