1. ¹Information Systems & Operations Management, Suffolk University, Boston, MA, U.S.A.
2. ²WestWind Technologies, Inc., Huntsville, AL, U.S.A.

Correspondence: Y. Yao, Information Systems & Operations Management, Suffolk University, 8 Ashburton Place, Boston, MA 02108, U.S.A. Tel: 617-573-8356; E-mail: yyao@suffolk.edu

Received 31 March 2006; Revised 13 November 2006; Re-revised 9 February 2007; Accepted 1 March 2007.

Abstract

Coupling telephone and web interfaces with computers for balloting outside the polling place, remote electronic voting systems (REVS) give the voter a choice: polling booth, absentee ballot, or remote voting. Not only does this e-Government technology raises issues such as security, voter participation, and accessibility, REVS technologies themselves differ in features and enabling conditions. How users (voters) perceive REVS's availability, mobility, accuracy, privacy protection, and ease of use, is likely to affect their use intention. Intention to use or not to use a voting technology can translate into a decision to vote or not – and there are no 'do-overs'. We develop a model and report on a survey of potential voters – people waiting to be impaneled on a jury – in regard to the impact of REVS characteristics on voting intentions and how the two most discussed REVS technologies of telephone- and web-based interfaces are perceived.