Digital votes for digital Britain

We’re told the web is place where all opinions are equal and count. But it is time to mature and allow us to really have our say on things that matter.

Commenting on articles is now mainstream. Communicating via social media tools likewise. Ditto with casting votes on meaningless polls. We’re now overloaded with interactivity online and until now it’s all been a bit of fun.

But having just been through a local and European election, I can’t help but wonder if it’s time to really have our say. We’re being denied our true interactive right - voting in elections!

Having our say on favourite housemates has its place. It’s fun for sure, but it won’t ever have the same merit as having our say on our favourite MP, Councillor or other elected officials.

Democracy

The web has done much for democracy. It’s helped add transparency of our elected officials and help us know what they’re up to.

Plus after the recent row over MP’s expenses, the web may also play its part in the freedom of information in future years.

It’s also enabled citizens to campaign on issues close to their heart. Online petitions have made gathering names easy and possible to reach far beyond your local vicinity.

Real Deal

While all this is valid and worthwhile, it’s time the evolution of the web went to the next stage and became a legitimate part of our democracy.

Now it’s time for the real deal. The next time I cast my vote online I want it to be for something life-changing.

Elected Officials need to be the goal. A way of taking democracy to the people rather than asking them to come to it via the nearest Polling Station.

No, it’s not necessarily going to be easy to do; but let’s not let that stop us.

Problems

The biggest fear will undoubtedly surround security. The stakes are extremely high and the temptation for a hi-jacked vote the same.

Measures have to be put in place to ensure one-vote per-person. But if we can do it for postal votes, we can do it for digital votes too.

Listen, if we can do our banking online, I’m sure we can find the answers somehow.

The other problem is universal access. Although I’m not suggesting the electorate have their say online only. It should be part of other measures like polling stations and postal votes.

The option to go digital would certainly be nice and I think we have the ways and means to now do it.

Reconnecting

As we saw in America, politicians across the pond have awoken to the importance of the web (or is that only Obama?). Unfortunately the same can’t be said for their British counterparts.

No, we haven’t been through a General Election when the web’s been a fabric of our society. However, one has to take place within 12 months.

None of the major parties yet show any sign of driving their message home online. If the campaign message can be digitized, so should response.

For too long the cry has been a disconnection with the public at-large. Using antiquated methods and fitting them amongst our modern lifestyles surely doesn’t have a future.

We’ve been hearing calls for political reform of late. In my view, transparency, fixed-term parliaments and Proportional Representation are only part of the solution. How we have our say should also be amongst the reform.