MISSOURI WILL PARTICIPATE IN PILOT PROGRAM INVOLVING INTERNET VOTING

The ballot box won't be real this fall for a few Missourians, but the votes will count just the same thanks to the Internet.

Missouri is one of three states that has been chosen to participate in a pilot project to allow 250 U.S. military personnel and American citizens living overseas to vote via the Internet in the November election.

The Defense Department is coordinating the project.

One hundred of the voters are from Texas and Howell counties in Missouri. Another 100 are from Florida and 50 are from Utah.

Secretary of State Bekki Cook said the Pentagon believes that the Internet could make it easier for soldiers in the field to vote.

"The information gathered through this project will help the Department of Defense determine how practical Internet voting may be," she said.

Cook said it is difficult for military personnel to vote absentee because they often are relocated, sent out on assignment or stationed in countries where mail delivery is uncertain.

For some of these people, there is no assurance that mailed absentee ballots would arrive home in time to be counted, Cook said.

Under the pilot project, the Defense Department will assign lengthy numbers coded for each voter so there won't be any question as to who cast the ballot.

The ballot itself is encrypted as well to ensure secrecy, Cook said.

She said the pilot project isn't an attempt to open Internet voting to all citizens.

"Currently, it would be too costly to provide the necessary degree of security for Internet voting to be used by the general public," said Cook.

She said the current election-day polling process remains the cornerstone of democracy.

Jim Grebing, communications director for the secretary of state's office, said Missouri's county elections offices have Internet access.

"That is one of the reasons Missouri was picked," he said. "We certainly are on the cutting edge of elections' technology."

The Missouri General Assembly must approve legislation for the state to participate in the pilot project.

Legislation to that effect has been introduced in both the House and Senate.

Grebing said the measure includes a sunset clause that carries a termination date of Dec. 31, 2000.

Dr. Peter Bergerson chairs the political science department at Southeast Missouri State University. Bergerson said he doesn't expect to see wide use of Internet voting.

Computer technology alone isn't going to boost voter turnout, he said. "The primary reason that people don't vote is that they are not registered."

Bergerson said going to the polls is a valued part of civic responsibility.