How organisations that currently undertake voting processes using paper, can easily transition their voters to internet voting.
Paper voting inherently means that the voter has either been handed a ballot (voting in person) or has been sent a paper ballot pack in the post. UK Engage’s General Manager, Any Tye, takes a look at the process involved in these methods and explores how it can be simplified using internet voting.
Voting in person
Voting in person usually takes place at a polling station, kiosk or booth or when the attendee has been invited to attend a meeting, such as an AGM, EGM or SGM. Individuals who vote this way will have been through a registration process or authenticated by some means, before being handed the ballot paper to vote in person. For AGMs, internet voting can be used to vote before the AGM (if the election rules allow), and to appoint a proxy. The main benefit of this is that the voter doesn’t have to spend time travelling to the location in order to cast their vote. A vote can be cast anywhere, at any time.

Postal Ballots
For postal ballots the addition of internet voting is a minimal change, effectively the process means the ballot pack is sent via email rather than by post. As with postal packs, secure access codes are provided to enter the internet voting site. To transition successfully organisations need the individual voter’s email address, instead of, or in addition to, their postal address. Of course, in order to comply with the General Data Protection Regulation, the individual must be informed of how their personal data will be used, via the organisation’s privacy policy.

Voter Engagement
For any transition to succeed, member engagement is essential. Voters will transition if it is in their interest; convenience and ease of use can be key drivers. These benefits should be communicated to voters in advance of the voting period, giving them plenty of time to think about who to vote for (or which resolutions to vote for). Encouraging voters to make their choices via internet voting by explaining the benefits of security, speed and ease, will help with the transition. Voter engagement can be carried out with the help of your communications team and/or you scrutineer. Incorporate messages that will influence your voters to make the transition and factor them into any pre-election communications or any relevant communications your organisation is releasing.
