Madam, - Colin R. Cooper (February 7th) compares electronic voting to electronic banking in an attempt to allay fears about it. But his analogy is faulty.
If a rogue computer programmer or bank official decides to transfer a couple of thousand euro from my account, it won't take long for me to notice the transgression. However, if somebody with the know-how decides to transfer a couple of thousand votes from one election candidate to another, who is going to know?
As Kathy Sheridan has pointed out, the system as currently planned is akin to allowing a private company to remove ballot boxes to a secret count centre and announce the results without any scrutiny. It is vital for our democracy that, in case of dispute, we have a means of verifying the votes cast. - Yours, etc.,
JOHN EGAN, Doonass, Clonlara, Co Clare.