Toward Computerized Voting in Guatemala?

Grete Pasch describes how certain aspects of the electoral process have been influenced by modern technology, specifically by computers.

In Guatemala, computers have simplified the vote counting. The voting authorities, Tribunal Supremo Electoral (TSE), uses an IBM AS-400 to process countrywide votes. The metropolitan area is tabulated using a second IBM AS400 with 30 terminals. In both cases, the computer is functioning as a centralized and very accurate vote counter, simply accumulating the totals for each table as it arrives via fax or paper documentation. In the metropolitan district, final results are available three hours after voting booths close. Updated information is constantly displayed for the public through the TV networks.

The reliability of these systems is guaranteed by the Guatemalan Computer Society, the Asociación de Informática de Guatemala (ADIG), whose members help audit the programs. ADIG is also cooperating with the authorities in order to test about 100 PCs in various voting points. These computers would gather the results directly at the source, and transmit them via fax (where phone lines are available.)

Of course, this is only the beginning in the the development of better systems that can enhance the voting process. With the arrival of computer networks, communities around the world have started creating "civic networks" that are becoming important community information resources and forums for public discussion.

In the United States, most presidential candidates have set up sites on the World Wide Web. The presidents of Mexico and Perú also have Web sites. The article discusses the impact of networking and other technologies on individual voters.