How will the website confirm my identity?

You will be provided with a unique voter login, which will be used by the voting Web site to confirm your identity.

What is an E-signature?

An E-signature is a randomly generated set of alphanumeric characters which are assigned to each voter. Only DirectVote® has access to the assignment of E-signatures.

How are votes by individual voters kept confidential?

Only DirectVote® has access to the votes cast by voters. Upon request by the organization holding the election, DirectVote® may disclose to that organization the fact that you voted, but not how you cast your votes. 

How will the Web site prevent voting more than once?

A member's login information will be disabled immediately after submitting the web ballot, preventing the member from logging in to the voting website again. 

How will I know that my ballot has been received?

After submitting your ballot, you will receive an e-mail message confirming that it has been received. 

If I make a mistake while voting, can I change it?

Yes. It is very easy to review and change your votes before your ballot is officially submitted for processing. After you make your selections, they will be displayed on a confirmation screen. At that time, you may either change your selections, or you may submit your ballot. Also, the Web site will verify that you have voted within the correct parameters -- for example, that you did not over vote or under vote -- and will advise you of any corrections that must be made. This additional safeguard, which cannot be offered if you vote by mail, will ensure the validity of your ballot.

After you submit your ballot, however, it cannot be changed. Submitting your ballot on the web is analogous to placing your printed ballot in the mailbox; once your ballot has been mailed, it cannot be changed.

How are Internet security issues addressed?

Several layers of security are employed to protect the election website.

  1. Votes are transmitted from the voter's computer to a data center using SSL (Secure Sockets Layer), the industry-standard encryption technology used to conduct financial transactions on the Web.
  2. The DirectVote® data center incorporates an intrusion detection system and continuously monitors for suspicious activity and dynamically reacts to any known attempts.
  3. The voting website employs passive and active network monitoring and security monitoring services to detect and prevent unauthorized access. For instance, the election website application has been programmed and tested by third-party certified security professionals to defend against hacking vulnerabilities such as session hijacking, SQL injection, and cross-site scripting.
  4. The website server and its applications have gone through extensive hardening and testing for security and are maintained continuously to ward off new vulnerabilities.
  5. The voting data are stored at the secure data center with controlled, monitored access 24 hours per day, 7 days per week.

Which browsers can be used to vote on the Web?

Most leading Web browsers such as Internet Explorer and Netscape can be used to vote on the Web. However, if you are using an older version of a Web browser, you should update your software to use the voting Web site. Software updates can typically be found from the manufacturer free of charge on the Web.

What happens if a member votes on the Web and also votes through the mail?

Votes obtained from the Web and from paper are combined into a single database and are associated with the member ID. Duplicate IDs are identified and removed based on criteria established by the organization holding the election.

See Also