- Stretchable electronics market forecast to reach $360 Billion
- Renesas Electronics appoints executive vice president
- Toshiba shipping samples of 64-layer, 512 3D Flash memory
- How Lean manufacturing saved an electronics company
Smartmatic has released research highlighting voters’ concerns over the current state of America’s voting machines and underlining the connection between outdated technology and a lack of trust in U.S. voting systems.
Conducted by the global insight and analytics consultancy Edelman Intelligence, the findings show that following a contentious presidential election, the majority of 2016 U.S. voters want to see investment in new voting systems and technology, and believe that updated technology will increase trust in elections.
Key Research Findings
- Eight in 10 voters and nearly 90 per cent of poll workers believe upgrades to the nation’s voting technology will strengthen and build trust in elections.
- One in five Americans who voted do not fully trust that the national election results were accurately tabulated; and one in three have concerns about the accuracy of the voting technology used at their polling place.
- 86 percent of voters who used electronic voting machines believed them to be the most secure voting system.
The nationally representative survey of 1,000 voters and 550 poll workers, reflecting all political party affiliations, demonstrated the degree to which outdated voting systems impact voters’ confidence in the election results.
“According to our findings, one in five Americans who voted in the presidential contest do not fully trust that the national election results were accurately tabulated,” said Kari Butcher, Executive Vice President of Edelman Intelligence. “And one in three have concerns about the accuracy of the voting technology used at their polling place.”
After reading information from a study by the Brennan Center for Justice that revealed the majority of America’s existing voting machines are dangerously outdated, 36 per cent of voters surveyed said they trusted the national election results less.
Of note, results showed that respondents were most confident in the voting system when using technology, compared to other methods such as voting by mail or paper ballots. Still, nearly 80 per cent of voters want upgrades to existing voting technology, and more than 80 per cent feel these updates would not only increase trust in the system, but improve the overall election process and strengthen U.S. democracy.
“Confidence—from the first ballot cast to the final result—is the bedrock of democracy,” said Smartmatic CEO Antonio Mugica. “The contentious 2016 presidential election cast doubt on U.S. election systems and reduced voter confidence in the election process. This research delivers a clear message: secure voting technology increases voter confidence and overall trust in elections. Now is the time to update voting systems for the next election in 2018.”
Sixty-nine percent of surveyed voters said they would support an initiative or legislation that would advocate for or fund improvements to U.S. voting technology. Unsurprisingly, 82 per cent of poll workers agreed.
“We’re seeing very clearly that American voters and poll workers, alike, are calling for changes to outdated voting systems—to build trust, promote inclusion and to strengthen their nation’s democracy,” said Mugica. “This research demonstrates a clear need to make improvements to the systems before the next election cycle.”