With the latest opinion polls showing that the outcome of the General Election is far from decided, each political party is working down to the wire to attract more voters. An important demographic is young people, with only a 44 per cent turn out from the 18-24 age group in the last election. Given 60 per cent of this age group use the Internet to access news and information, the key to winning this election is likely to come down to which party is able to effectively engage younger voters online.
So, what lessons can the Government learn from successful eCommerce sites? And how can parties gain an edge over their competitors online?
Speed and security
With its potential to galvanise the youth vote, online voting is increasingly seen as requirement for a truly democratic society. Yet concerns over security, speed and reliability remain. Despite the huge impact of eCommerce on other areas such as banking, retail and communication and the remarkable success that many businesses have enjoyed as a result, online voting is still an unknown concept.
As the recent Obamacare problem-plagued website demonstrated, site reliability and speed shouldn’t be compromised. If planned and tested thoroughly well in advance of the big day, the website will be as prepared as possible for a large traffic spike. This can be achieved by testing the website with multiple variables: including testing with two, five or even 10 times the estimated number of visits.
Security and privacy are also big concerns, if hackers are able to access the website the whole voting system could be exposed. As we do for all our customers, it is important that backdoors, Trojans and other weaknesses are identified before the site goes live. Ensuring that the Government’s physical infrastructure is resilient and that IT processes are locked down tight will be vital. Online voting is important but no one wants to see the Government compromise on security.
Optimised performance
A superior website performance could help to give a party the critical edge over its rivals, resulting in an extremely positive impact when it comes to the youth vote on polling day. Labour is leading the way with an online youth consultation. The online survey asked for ideas that that would shape young people’s lives for the better, attracting over 1,500 responses.
However, it’s not just about having an online presence, it will be equally as important that the party’s website infrastructure is able to support such a large influx of traffic. If a party’s website fails to deliver, it will have a dramatic impact on reputation. If they can’t run a website how can they run a country?
So, how can parties make sure their websites don’t fall down at a period of such hyper-visibility?
Speed and security are vital components for site success. The more responsive the website is, the better the experience will be for voters. Obama’s plagued healthcare.gov initiative is one example of how a great initiative can fall over without the right infrastructure in place, impacting trust and credibility.
Stress-testing can be a great way to see whether a website is up to the challenge. Test a website with multiple variables and overestimate on the amount of traffic: including testing with two, five or even 10 times the regular number of visits. Also, standard maintenance processes should be carried out well in advance. These methods will help identify any potential areas of weakness, ensuring that anything that needs to be patched is patched in time for the crucial run up to the General Election.
Unlimited potential
The internet and social media have a key role to play in keeping young people engaged in politics and encouraging more to have a say in the way the country is run. With online retailers and banks now featuring secure, reliable and well-optimised websites, the same practices can be applied to online voting platforms and political party websites.
It falls to the Government’s IT operation to alleviate any infrastructure concerns behind online voting arrangements, opening democracy up to a younger, tech-savvy generation. The Government’s IT operation should look to follow successful eCommerce sites, putting speed, reliability and performance at the heart of its approach. Our Government should be a true reflection of society, without the remaining 35 per cent of voters on board, our democracy could be compromised.
