INTERNET VOTERS NOT LIKELY TO BE ANY BETTER INFORMED THAN THOSE WHO DON'T GO TO THE POLLS

They don't quite know how they're going to do it yet, but Arizona Democrats plan to hold their March 11 primary on the Internet. This would be the first binding balloting for public office on the Internet.

Like mail-in ballots, online voting has many obstacles to overcome. More than that, there is the unending issue of just how far ballot access should go. Every qualified voter has the option right now of going to the polls or requesting an absentee ballot in most elections. But the plain fact is that large numbers of registered voters choose not to exercise this privilege. By and large, those who don't vote are most likely to be uninformed about candidates and issues. Why is it so important to find ways to get these uninterested voters to mark a ballot?

The process described for the Arizona experiment is complicated. In the end, voters aren't any more likely to jump through hoops on the Internet to cast a ballot than they are to drive to a polling place.