Vote-from-Home? Evaluation Framework for Election Security on Remote Voting in Response to COVID-19

Abstract

This article poses a question on whether the remote voting by online or vote-by-mail is trustworthy under the COVID-19 pandemic situation. One of the worldwide efforts to contain the virus was to work-from-home and restriction orders. Besides, because of the human contact is critical in the dissemination of the virus, possibilities of alternative methods of voting such as online voting, blockchain voting, vote-by-mail are proposed. In light of such a situation, the article proposes a framework to evaluate the election security of remote voting methods. Further, the article provides a case of best practice for election administration from the case of the Republic of Korea. Based off of the assessment results from the proposed evaluation framework, the article provides modest suggestions and policy implications to the election administrators.

Keywords: COVID-19, Remote Voting, Online Voting, Blockchain Voting, Internet Voting, Election Security, Cybersecurity