The Stephen Colbert Factor: Avoiding Online Polling Fraud
3:53 pm in Online Voting by Votenet Updates
In 2006, comedian Stephen Colbert energized his fans to vote to name a bridge in Hungary after him, and he received more than 17 million votes in a country that has only 10 million inhabitants (see video of Colbert getting the official word).
Colbert’s ability to profoundly influence the election led a Canadian reporter to ask, “Can you really run an online poll accurately?”
The answer is a resounding yes. Online polls can and should have mechanisms in place that can guard against fraud. The platforms should be able to limit the number of registrations per IP address and the number of times one can vote. In addition, a secure system will prevent automated voting scripts. Online voting events can also be third-party verified and highly secure, preventing voter fraud or administrative tampering.
Download Votenet’s whitepapers and resources about security here.
If you limit registrations/votes per IP address, you could be limiting thousands of legitimate accounts and votes. School districts, offices, and some internet service providers, hide all of their users behind one singular IP address. Putting a cap on voting, while at the same time monitoring IP activity, can help but won’t put an end to voting fraud. It also takes a lot of resources to receive complaints and do your due diligence to ensure that any change in IP cap is to a level that is correct for each situation.