French E-Voting Study Knocks Hidden Costs

December 19, 2007 12:18 p.m. EST

Paris, France (AHN) - Although touted as a way to save money, electronic voting often comes with a hidden price tag, a French advocacy group claimed Wednesday.

In a report, the French Internet Rights Forum said election districts overlook administrative costs associated with using electronic voting rather than traditional paper ballots.

In many cases, election districts must pay to inform voters of candidate choices or mail paper ballots. In one case, the cost was pegged at around $18,000 for each election.

Other voting districts were forced to open more polling stations and buy additional e-voting machines because voters took longer to operate the electronic balloting devices.

The study also found governments overestimated the lifespan of e-voting machines, requiring the devices to be replaced sooner than expected.

Other costs were paying for e-voting security, fees for service and software licenses.

In France, e-voting popularity has gradually increased, marked by 82 electoral districts requesting permission to use electronic voting. That number compares to just 15 districts that used e-voting in 2004.