Online voting, called a major risk by security experts, opens up to more voters
Like many college students away from home, Melissa Carney considered casting an absentee ballot in 2016. Because she's blind, however, Carney would've needed help from a friend to fill out a paper ballot. So, she didn't vote.
This year is different. The Pennsylvania voter has access to an online ballot portal that works with her computer's screen-reading software. She can mark a digital ballot, print it and mail it to her local election office.
"I'm very excited to be able to vote privately and independently, and get in on that excitement that I missed in college," Carney said. Carney is so enthusiastic about the system that she consults for Democracy Live, the company that makes it.
Carney and other people with disabilities are joining thousands of military and overseas voters who already rely on the internet to exercise their franchise. Since 2009, federal law has required states to provide ballots electronically to military and overseas voters. More than 30 states have gone further, allowing some voters to return marked ballots over the internet, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. More recently, Delaware, West Virginia, Louisiana and Utah have allowed domestic voters with disabilities to return their ballots via fax, email or a web portal.
