Universal suffrage

Since universal suffrage is the right that ``all human beings have ...to vote and to stand for election subject to certain conditions, for example age and nationality'' [8], under this category we will include requirements that the system be universally available and universally usable.

1) The e-voting system shall be universally available, that is: every eligible voter shall have access to at least one voting channel. (4)

1. A contingency procedure shall be drawn up to prepare for the possibility that one or more voting channels become unavailable, and to provide alternative voting channels where necessary. (61b, 70a, 71a)
2. The contingency procedure shall include measures for physical disaster recovery. (75b)
3. Staff shall be trained to follow the contingency procedure. (71b)
4. The e-voting system shall be protected against threats to its availability including: malfunction, breakdown and denial of service attacks. (30)
5. The availability of each voting channel shall be subject to regular checks. (79b)
6. The timetable for voting channel availability shall be designed to maximise voter access and shall be made public well in advance of the start of the polling period. (37, 45)

2) User interface design (for all interfaces, including vote-casting, registration (2) and administration) shall follow best practice to maximise usability (1b, 61a, 65), in particular:

1. Interfaces shall be understandable. It shall be made clear to voters whether they are participating in a genuine election, and whether their vote has been recorded correctly. (1a, 14, 50)
2. Voters shall be consulted during the design and testing of vote casting and registration interfaces. (62)
3. The needs of voters with disabilities shall be taken into account in the design of the interface. Appropriate advocacy groups shall be consulted, and compatibility with relevant products and compliance with relevant standards maximised, to that end. (3, 63, 64)

3) Voters shall be educated in the use of the vote-casting interface and regarding any steps required in order to participate. (38)

1. Voters shall be given the opportunity to practice using the interface. (22)
2. Support and guidance shall be available to voters through widely available communication channels. (46)
3. Where there may be doubt (such as with remote voting) voters shall be educated as to how they may confirm that they are using an authentic voting channel and that the authentic ballot has been presented. (90b)