Users' Experiences with E-Voting: A Comparative Case Study

Journal of Electronic Governance, Vol. 2, No. 4, Winter 2009

18 Pages Posted: 3 Aug 2010

See all articles by Anne-Marie Oostveen

Anne-Marie Oostveen

University of Oxford - Oxford Internet Institute

Peter van den Besselaar

Rathenau Institute - Science System Assessment Department; VU University Amsterdam - Faculty of Social Sciences

Date Written: 2009

Abstract

A system for e-voting was developed and tested in fourteen field studies. This enabled us to investigate the actual experiences of users when deploying this type of e-governance technology. In this paper we describe the set-up of the field studies, and discuss the main results. Are users satisfied with e-voting technology and its usability? Do different user groups differ in their uses of the technology, and in their opinions about it? If so, which groups can be discerned? Does this point at a digital divide? Will users be extra motivated to use new e-governance technologies thereby increasing voter turnout? Our empirical study found that there is a serious risk that if e-voting systems replace the traditional voting systems in the future, it may have the unintended effect that it will exclude large groups of citizens from participating in the democratic process. Moreover, the assumption by many policy makers that e-voting will increase overall voter turnout is not supported by our research.

Keywords: e-voting, usability, turnout, digital divide

Suggested Citation

Oostveen, Anne-Marie and van den Besselaar, Peter, Users' Experiences with E-Voting: A Comparative Case Study (2009). Journal of Electronic Governance, Vol. 2, No. 4, Winter 2009 , Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=1432861

Anne-Marie Oostveen (Contact Author)

University of Oxford - Oxford Internet Institute ( email )

1 St. Giles
University of Oxford
Oxford OX1 3PG Oxfordshire, Oxfordshire OX1 3JS
United Kingdom

HOME PAGE: http://www.social-informatics.net

Peter Van den Besselaar

Rathenau Institute - Science System Assessment Department ( email )

Anna van Saxenlaan
Den Haag
Netherlands

VU University Amsterdam - Faculty of Social Sciences ( email )

De Boelelaan 1081
Amsterdam, 1081 HV
Netherlands

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