Reflections about Online Voting on Email’s 40th Anniversary
1:42 pm in Increasing Voter Turnout, Online Voting, Voting Trends by Votenet Updates
When organizations consider online voting, they sometimes express concern that their members aren’t technologically savvy enough. But according to this fascinating history of email, the technology has been around since 1971.
This means that a 70-year-old voter was only 30 years old when the first email was sent. Queen Elizabeth II, who turned 85 in April, sent her first electronic mail message in 1976. And this study by AARP shows that American’s born before 1955 make up 51% of the US population — and almost half of the people who use the Internet.
Are we perhaps underestimating the ability of a group of people who have been around the foundation of computer communication since they began their careers? We hear back from organizations all the time that they were surprised by the adoption of the technology by voters of all ages — including seniors. Perhaps the stereotype we have of seniors carries over into our decisions about new technology.
How does your organization view members over the age of 55? Are you worried about their computer ability?
HAPPY ANNIVERSARY!
When we first got together all those years ago, my friends, my neighbors and my family said that we would never last. But look at us today. You are my trusted companion, my confidant, my treasured helpmate. We showed all the nay sayers didn’t we and we will walk on into the future together. You and I, always……….
How fascinating! It is true that age is not a barrier to online voting – rather a lack in interest in the election that leads to a lower turnout.
Hilarious cartoon, and I had no idea that emails had been around that long time seriously does fly. I do wonder what the first email sent by Queen Elizabeth II said, maybe ROTFL. On a serious note, I have found that by forcing many of the older voters to access their technological ability they seem to exceed even their own expectations of what they could do.