[xorcist]

There have been plenty of suggested online voting schemes over the past several decades, yet the prevailing theme is that the ones that actually see practical use don't even try to solve the problem.

The reason why we have public elections is to ensure a peaceful transfer of power. I believe each and every scholar of political science would agree with this statement.

What's important is that there must be no reason to sow distrust into the process. No party should be able to claim their votes weren't properly counted, or that the process is somehow suspicious. The voting process could be mathematically perfect, but if people doesn't trust that votes can't be bought and counters can't be bribed then it's all for nothing.

That's why we need transparency. Not because of some higher theoretical lofty ideas, but because the basis for peaceful transfer of power between parties mutually suspicious of each other is not there.

If trust gets broken then society gets broken. Elections will continue, but in a generation or two they will cease to be able to fulfill their intended goals, and that's when we see the outcome. Not next year. That's what scares me.