Governments in 42 countries are using software from Scytl to bring elements of their election online, from registering voters to consolidating results.
The company, CEO is Pere Valles and based in Barcelona, Spain, sells software to put each step of the election process online, including poll worker training and campaign spending. To vote online, registered voters generally need to visit a government website and enter an electronic ID and password. When a voter submits and signs a digital ballot, software encrypts the data on the person's devise and provides a digital receipt.
Developing countries typically use Scytl's technology for fraud prevention, but some officials, including those in about 1,400 U.S. counties, use it to cut costs and improve participation. "If you follow the instructions, it's actually pretty simple," says Carol Thompson, manager of Alaska's Absentee and Petition Office, which hired Scytl in 2012 to create a system for Alaskans to receive and return ballots online. The state warns online voters they're waiving their right to a secret ballot, meaning they know their votes could be exposed to a hack. But, Thompson says, "we haven't has any issues, and we expect use to keep increasing."
Created in 2001 as a spin-off from a cryptography research group at the Autonomous University of Barcelona, there are now 625 employees.
Ian Brightwell, Chief Information Officer for the Electoral Commission in the southeastern Australian State of New South Wales hired Sctyl to improve the state's electronic voting system for elections held in March.
Lori Steele Contorer, CEO of Everyone Counts says her software, which handles government elections is at least as secure as Scytl's. She says she expects the U.S. Election assistance Commission t give Everyone Counts the first Federal Certification for online voting next year.
Many election watchdogs say software isn't yet secure enough to be trusted, and they're concerned that Scytl and its competitors haven't developed a way for third parties to independently verify results.
To soothe worried governments, Scytl often first pitches more minor functions, like voter education and personnel training. An online voting system is due for the Swiss Government next year will make it easier for authorities to audit and verify vote tallies, addressing the main concerns of the academic community.
Scytl's next next big test will be handling reporting for every polling place in Spain on Dec. 20, 2015. The Spanish Ministry of Interior will publish results on a public website in near-real time. This test objective isn't fraud prevention but speed.
NYC Wins When Everyone Can Vote! Michael H. Drucker
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