Written by Kris Bajada
While the subject of online voting is being discussed, the students of Junior College will once again have the opportunity to vote for or against its introduction, as the person who represents non-politically oriented students, I believe I can give an unbiased view on this topic.
In order to determine whether online voting is advantageous or disadvantageous for the Junior College, students must analyse it logically.
1. No student card needed to vote
The greatest advantage that online voting offers is that it circumvents the possibility that some students will be barred from voting due to damaged or lost student cards (a problem encountered in the last KSJC election). If this happens to a substantial number of students, it can call into question the legitimacy of the council elect.
2. No invalid votes and better access
Yet another crucial advantage online voting offers is that the possibility of invalid votes is eliminated. Additionally, it makes voting much easier regardless of the weather conditions; this results in a higher voter count as can be observed by the previous KSU election.
3. System could be hacked
On the other hand, one obvious disadvantage is that the system could be hacked, though the resources needed to pull such a thing off for a council which only has a one-year term means that it is very unlikely to happen yet this does not mean that it cannot take place altogether.
4. Potential for coerced votes
However, after much consideration, the greatest disadvantage online voting has is that voters do not have the security offered by a voting booth as candidates and members/runners can try to coerce other students at the time of voting.
At the end of the day, everyone is free to agree or disagree with online voting; however, a student should ultimately make an informed decision according to what they think is best, and not based on the whims of political organisations.