Common Cause/PA Opposes Electronic Overseas Ballot Measure
HARRISBURG, Pa. (CBS) -- A prominent good-government group says it's strongly opposed to legislation that would allow military and overseas voters to send their ballots electronically in Pennsylvania elections.
Barry Kauffman, executive director of Common Cause/PA, says the current state of the Internet does not make online voting practical.
"Every credible Internet and computer security expert says don't do this," Kauffman said, "you cannot make a system secure for voting."
But the sponsor of the bill, Fayette County Senate Republican Patrick Stefano, says his measure is not an online voting bill. He says it merely allows overseas voters to submit their paper ballots electronically, by converting them to PDF files and sending them via email.
"If you have a handwritten form, and you're submitting that, it's not much different than sending it by mail – that could be hijacked, as well," Stefano said. "But highly unlikely."
Stefano's bill is now poised for a vote by the full Senate after clearing the Senate Appropriations Committee on Monday.