Cook rules out first e-General Election

Speaking yesterday to the lobby, Cook said: “Can I just stress… that I don't think it would be feasible for us to contemplate that [online voting] for the next general election; one's really looking beyond the next general election.” He added: “We will have to make sure that it is done in a way that is secure and preserves the integrity of the democratic process.”



The former Foreign Secretary's comments came after Tony Blair yesterday announced the appointment of a new ministerial committee to “consider ways of strengthening the democratic process by engaging the public and their elected representatives through the use of the internet and other electronic means." Cook has been named as the committee's chairman.

Cook, who is also responsible for the committee that is looking at modernising parliament and introducing more technology to Westminster, said the new group would have two main issues to address: the potential for online voting and “how we can use the internet for interactive consultation with the public in between elections”.

His cautiousness tempers steps the government has been taking this year towards using the internet to increase voting levels, particularly after the poor turn-out at the last General Election. In October, E-Commerce Minister Douglas Alexander urged technology companies to assist the government in using the internet to open up new democratic channels, including the development of online voting and electronic public participation.

The Department for Transport, Local Government and the Regions (DTLR) and office of the e-envoy are also working on a consultation paper to explore the possibilities for remote voting via telephone, internet and television, and have asked local authorities for submissions to a pilot scheme that would see voting online being made available in some local elections in May next year.

However, when asked whether there were likely to be any experiments in the use of electronic voting sooner, if it could not be used at the next general election, Cook replied: “It's far too early to say. We've only announced it two hours ago, and I perhaps should not start now saying what I would rule out. But I think, by a realistic time-scale, one can't really imagine it being in general use for a general election.”

As well as Cook, the new committee will contain Trade and Industry secretary Patricia Hewitt, E-commerce minister Douglas Alexander, Minister without portfolio Charles Clarke, Financial Secretary to the Treasury Paul Boateng, Minister for Transport, Local Government and the Regions Nick Raynsford, Minister for Home Affairs John Denham, Cabinet Office Minister Barbara Roch, plus Parliamentary Secretaries Stephen Twigg and John Healey. E-envoy Andrew Pinder has also been invited to join.

Its creation may also be very timely with the release of a report due this afternoon from the EC, comparing the performance of European governments in getting democratic channels online.