Internet Voting In India Using UID

Nandan Nilekani is working on a UID for every individual in India. I think it can be used for internet voting. At least in the cities where people have started using internet for paying bills, transferring funds, buying/selling stuff so why can't people vote as well. I think this might do wonders in increasing voter turnout in cities, specially in the younger, facebook addicted, generation. I hope the guys who are working on this have already figured out this potential use of the UID. But I wanted to put it out there via my blog, just in case. I am sure that if you've read so far and if you are a person who uses internet regularly for checking email, social networking, banking, paying bills, buying/selling etc. you would have already made a mental list of the advantages that internet voting will have, specially in the cities. Well here are a few anyway:

1. The voter turnout amoung the young generation might just reach as high as 99%.
2. People in hospitals can vote.
3. People who are not in the city/town at the time of voting can vote
4. NRI's can vote
5. No bullying/threats at poll booths
6. No booth capturing (of course places where booths are captured might not have high percentage of internet voting)
7. People don't have to miss work. They just need 10-15 mins off and can cast their vote.

Possible problems:

1. Hacking
2. Overload
3. System Crash or bugs
4. Somebody may steal your UID and password and cast your vote

But I think these issues can be addressed and should not be a detterent to this idea. Of course if you are worried that someone might steal your UID and password then I think this is a matter of personal responsibility and not a drawback of this system.

Horn Please

Alright, I had almost forgotten that I had this blog. :)

I am back in India and it's awesome!!*

*Except for the frikkin' iron melting blast furnace like weather.

Anyway, after what seems to be a very short amount of time, I am back in India. And right now, I have a surface coating of "The Japanese way" on me. And before it whithers away and before I too get back to "The Indian way", I must point out some typical and some not so typical differences between the people of India and Japan.

It will not be a surprise for most of you to know that people aborad honk only at dire circumstances or to express their frustration at the someone on the road. I was wondering why then people in India honk for almost every thing until I saw HORN PLEASE written at the back of a truck. It was a moment of epiphany where I realised that it is not that we want to honk all the time, it is the person in the other vehicle or on the road that wants us to honk. Because only when we honk, will they do something.

My mom was very sick when I arrived in Delhi and so I had to take her to the hospital. Nope, I am not about the rip apart the health care system of this country. But I wanted to talk about the attitude and manners of the people who run these places. Starting from the receptionists and to every single staff person (clerks, nurses, lab techicians and doctors) that I met in that night behaved badly. I wondered why these people are working in a hospital in the first place. So yes, Mata Chanan Devi Hospital in Janakpuri is the worst hospital in Delhi in my list.

I guess this post is turning into hardcore criticism instead of light hearted sattire. So, I'll continue this very soon. No promises :)