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User interface language: English | Español

Date	November 2020	Marks available	4	Reference code	20N.1.SL.TZ0.1
Level	SL	Paper	1	Time zone	no time zone
Command term	Describe	Question number	1	Adapted from	N/A

Question

E-voting

A number of countries, such as India, have introduced e-voting systems. Citizens can vote by going to a specified location, such as a school, or they can vote from home using a computer. Each voter is provided with a unique identifier, such as IND55454, that they must enter into the system when they vote.

These e-voting systems usually consist of a user interface (see Figure 1), linked to a relational database (see Figure 2).

Figure 1: An example of an e-voting interface

Figure 2: An example of a relational database

Describe two features of the user interface in Figure 1 that make it intuitive.

[4]

a.i.

Outline one advantage of using a relational database to store this data.

[2]

a.ii.

A number of individuals and groups were consulted during the design of the e-voting system to enable designers to create an intuitive interface for it.

Analyse questionnaires and interviews as methods of data collection to gather this information from these individuals and groups.

[6]

Some states are planning to return to a paper-based voting system, where voters put a cross (X) in the column next to the party of their choice.

Discuss whether these states should retain e-voting or return to a paper-based voting system.

[8]

Markscheme

Answers may include:

Appropriate use of white space…
which allows the voters (users) to see the information clearly.

Clear identification of part of the form where the voters add their vote…
only allows the vote to be added in the correct location / field.

Clear instructions…
to guide voters through the voting process, such as warning that voters cannot return and change their opinions.

Award [1] for identifying a feature of the user interface in Figure 1 that makes it intuitive and [1] for a development of that feature up to a maximum of [2].

Mark as [2] + [2].

a.i.

Answers may include:

It is easier to update data as it is in one location…
whereas using a flat file database may mean the item of data would each have to updated in every location it is found.

As data in one location, it will have a single format…
whereas if it was in a number of different tables, the formats may be different.

Award [1] for identifying an advantage of using a relational database to store this data and [1] for a development of that reason up to a maximum of [2].

a.ii.

Answers may include:

Questionnaires:

Provide a mechanism to get responses from a large number of people.
Provide a mechanism to obtain quantitative answers. These answers are relatively easy/quick to analyse.
Are less labour intensive than using interviews.
Poorly designed questions, e.g., the overuse or lack of closed questions, can yield almost meaningless information.
Respondents may sometimes misunderstand or misinterpret questions; it will be very hard to correct these mistakes and collect missing data in a second round.
Questionnaires do not have time constraints; respondents can take their time to complete the questionnaire in their own time.
Questionnaires safeguard respondents’ anonymity, which allows for complete invisibility, maximizing comfort for those answering.

Interviews:

Provide information that may be more detailed than that obtained from a questionnaire.
Require skilful interviewers to be able to take advantage of the face-to-face interactions.
If the skillset of the interviewees is appropriate, the qualitative data may be used to provide more substantial conclusions than relying solely, or largely, on quantitative data.
Can be very time-consuming: setting up, interviewing, transcribing, analysing, feedback, reporting.
Not all respondents may be comfortable taking part in interviews and may feel nervous, especially when it is being recorded.

Answers may include:

Advantages of retaining e-voting:

The collection of the votes is more straightforward if the voting form is online (systems).
Voters will have the flexibility to cast their votes from any location using online voting.
The results of the election can be reported more quickly (systems).
More in-depth analysis / use of data analytics of the voting patterns may occur, which may help political parties target voters during subsequent elections (systems).
Electronic voting machines with touch screens are proven to be advantageous for physically challenged people (systems).
Electronic voting machines can also come with audio support to assist visually impaired voters. In such cases, the visually challenged person can cast their vote without any problem (systems).
Electronic voting machines allow people with disabilities to cast truly anonymous ballots and ensure them equitable rights (systems).
A long-term decrease in expenses. Conducting a large-scale election can be a costly prospect, primarily because of labour costs.
More convenient to transport e-voting machines than ballot papers and boxes (systems).

Disadvantages of retaining e-voting:

The biggest concern about electronic voting is hacking: there is always the risk that someone without authorization would be able to access and alter the results of an election. This could be done either in person, by physically tampering with the voting machines, or remotely, if the system transmits any kind of data over the internet (security).
A hurdle for implementing widespread e-voting is the high upfront cost of installation. While electronic voting can be a cost-saving measure in the long term, the cost of setting it up may be a prohibitive factor. Costs include the servers, voting machines, maintenance and installation, testing the infrastructure, and securing the premises (systems).
E-voting machines may require power backup, which may be a challenge, especially in remote locations (systems).
Technical supervisors/staff may be required at the site of e-voting to deal with technical glitches (systems).
The switch to e-voting may increase/exacerbate the digital divide.

Advantages of reverting to paper voting:

Implementing the technology may not be cost-effective.
There are concerns about the security of the e-voting system, such as being hacked or fraudulent activities linked to the voting (values).
Some people prefer the human element of paper voting (values).
No technical training is required for voters: they can mark their preference on a paper ballot and drop it into the ballot box (systems).
Even people with low literacy levels can easily use a paper ballot.
No technical training is required for election officers deployed at the polling booths: no electronic capturing devices are in use.
Paper ballots are more secure – tampering is not possible due to a physical record of votes.
The paper ballot is effective in reducing fake and bogus votes, as the software of electronic voting machines can be manipulated with malware, which can be used to tamper with the election results.
Statistically relevant auditing can serve as a tool to detect or deter malfunction or fraud.
In the instance where a candidate is entitled to a recount, a full hand recount of paper ballots can determine the accurate or final results (reliability).

Disadvantages of reverting to paper voting:

The printing of ballots ahead of time and setting them in order is a difficult task. Printing of ballots is done district-wise, making the task even more complex.
The voter may accidentally mark two boxes on the same ballot or may not mark the choice correctly. The computer software can prevent this happening (systems).
With traditional paper methods, ballots must be collected from various polling locations and consolidated at a central location before a team of individuals sifts through them manually. This process is very time-consuming, leading to a significant delay in the announcement of election results.
In a paper ballot, physically challenged people may have difficulty casting their votes in private.
The requirement to go to a polling location continues to drive down voter turnout. Some people don’t have time to take off work, don’t live close to a polling location, or just can’t be bothered (values).

In part (c) of this question it is expected there will be a balance between the terminology related to digital systems and the terminology related to social and ethical impacts.

Keywords: voting, elections, e-voting, reliability, privacy, security, digital divide, inclusion, change, power, spaces, systems, values, ethics

Refer to SL/HL paper 1, part c markbands when awarding marks. These can be found under the "Your tests" tab > supplemental materials > Digital society markbands and guidance document.

Examiners report

[N/A]

a.i.

[N/A]

a.ii.

[N/A]

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