Discussion Title: Should election voting only be cast as i-votes?

1. Election votes should only be cast as i-votes.
1.1. Pro: It has a greater reach.
1.1.1. Pro: Many people do not turn up to vote because [polling stations](https://www.nap.edu/read/11449/chapter/8#107) are far away from their homes. I-voting ensures that people do not have to cover such long distances.
1.1.2. Con: Many people do not have access to technology or internet. Therefore, they are unlikely to vote.
1.1.2.1. Pro: People living in [rural areas](https://www.nap.edu/read/11449/chapter/8#107) of America find it difficult to have internet access.
1.1.2.2. Con: Globally, internet users have [increased](https://ourworldindata.org/internet) from only 413 million in 2000 to over 3.4 billion in 2016.
1.2. Con: It's susceptible to hacking.
1.2.1. Con: Operating as a [blockchain](https://steelkiwi.com/blog/using-blockchain-technology-to-boost-cybersecurity/) could offer [protection](https://followmyvote.com/online-voting-technology/blockchain-technology/) from this.
1.3. Con: There are privacy concerns.
1.3.1. Pro: When a vote is cast, the system adds an entry with a timestamp and an indication that it is cast. If the timestamp log is combined with the contents of the ballot, this violates the [confidentiality](http://infolab.stanford.edu/pub/keller/2004/privacy-electronic-voting-WPES-2004.pdf) of the vote
1.3.2. Pro: The [secrecy](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Secret_ballot) of the ballot is maintained while physically voting since voting is done in secrecy. A device may allow for other people to see what someone's voting for.
1.4. Pro: Voters will have convenient access to information on the website they are voting on, which they can utilize before and while casting a vote \(like popups for information\).
1.4.1. Pro: This would be relatively easy to implement, as most documents \(like voting guides\), are already available there online.
1.5. Pro: It's more environmentally friendly.
1.5.1. Pro: Large amounts of [paper](https://dailytitan.com/2017/11/electronic-voting-polls-environment-reliable/) is saved.
1.5.2. Con: Producing phones and servers for the purpose handling i-votes is not environmentally friendly either.
1.6. Con: It'll require an enormous infrastructure overhaul.
1.6.1. Con: The technology's there to make it possible.
1.7. Con: Implementation may disenfranchise voters.
1.7.1. Pro: Websites can crash if there are too many people on it and having the entire US on a website for voting could cause crashing severe enough that people wouldn't want i-voting anymore.
1.7.2. Pro: Paper voting is well-understood, easily auditable and difficult to tamper with.
1.8. Pro: This would create uniformity through nationwide standardization of how voting takes place.
1.8.1. Pro: In many countries, people vote through different [means](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Postal_voting).I-voting would standardize voting.
1.9. Pro: It'll help update outdated voting methods.
1.9.1. Pro: The votes will be added in sooner, so they have more of a chance of being counted.
1.10. Pro: Some areas are open to adopting i-voting.
1.10.1. Pro: California has a desire to go in that direction.
1.10.1.1. Pro: This is shown from the [Voting Modernization Bond Act of 2002](http://repository.uchastings.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2198&context=ca_ballot_props) and [2018](https://www.sos.ca.gov/administration/news-releases-and-advisories/2017-news-releases-and-advisories/california-state-assembly-approves-voting-modernization-bond-act-2018/) to their [Online Voting System](https://ballotpedia.org/California_Online_Voting_System_Initiative_%282016%29) and [Electronic Vote Submission](https://ballotpedia.org/California_Electronic_Vote_Submission_Initiative_%282016%29) Initiatives.
1.10.2. Pro: In India, there's a unique identification card known as Aadhaar card: a person's basic details along with biometric data \(retina and fingerprint\) are attached to it. i-votes can be cast from phones, which can be then linked to Aadhaar and after authenticated using the fingerprint sensor of phone \(fingerprint sensors are becoming more prevalent on devices\).
1.11. Pro: It'll prevent voter fraud.
1.11.1. Pro: Due to encryption and decentralization, [blockchain](https://www.investopedia.com/news/how-blockchain-technology-can-prevent-voter-fraud/)’s database of transactions is incorruptible, and each vote can be easily verified.
1.11.2. Pro: The possibility of fairer elections encourages voter turnout since voters know their vote will matter.
1.11.3. Pro: If someone doesn't want to vote, they could shut down their account. Therefore, no one can cast a vote under their name, which could potentially happen with votes on paper.
1.11.3.1. Pro: Right now, [vote harvesting](https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2019/oct/28/vote-harvesting-a-recipe-for-coercion-and-election/) occurs, legally and illegally. If voters can shut down their voting capabilities, it can prevent others from potentially voting on their behalf \(without the voter's permission\).
1.11.4. Con: It's more difficult to prevent people from voting multiple times.
1.11.5. Con: -> See 1.2.
1.11.6. Con: People can come to your residence and threaten you to vote for a particular candidate, say by holding a gun against you.