BRUSSELS — Division opened up on Friday over a proposal to trial internet voting in one or two municipalities in next year’s local elections.

Federal Computerisation State Secretary Peter van Velthoven was adamant the trial will be carried out, but was met with a denial from Flemish Administration and City Policy Minister Marino Keulen.

Vanvelthoven said voters were ready for something new, citing a recent poll indicating 60 percent want to vote via the internet.

“Setting up such a system is harder than you think. First of all, we have to register who has already voted and who hasn’t,” he was quoted saying by Flemish broadcaster VRT.

“However, we shouldn’t find out who they voted for. It’s a complicated system which we have to test thoroughly first.”

If the experiment works, the system can be expanded in the 2007 federal elections.
However, Minister Keulen denied the trial would be launched, stressing that local elections were not Van Velthoven’s responsibility.

“Moreover, I think it’s a bad idea to hold the experiment during an election,” he said.

[Copyright Expatica News 2005]

Subject: Belgian news