Tony Blair has called what to all intents and purposes is the UK's
first e-election on 7 June.
The three main political parties have spent hundreds of thousands
of pounds upgrading their Web sites, e-mail and internal computer
and communications systems in preparation for the contest.
They all believe that e-campaigning will make a crucial difference
and see the Internet as the key to their political future. In 1964
Britain saw its first "television election" when Labour's wily
Harold Wilson became the first politician to get to grips with the
medium and in doing so defeated the old-fashioned Tory aristocrat
Sir Alec Douglas-Home.
That was not the end of the old-style hustings - they were still
going when Ted Heath returned the compliment by overhauling Wilson
in 1970 - but television campaigning was revealed as the shape of
things to come.
While this year's e-campaigning may not seem quite so dramatic a
change, its effects could be equally far reaching. A study by
Forrester Research shows that many wired-up individuals would be
happy to vote online, although that is still a long way off.
There are concerns about security and accuracy, underlined by the
problems created by mechanical and electronic systems used in the
recent US Presidential election. The digital divide is another
reason for going slow on electronic voting. It would further
disadvantage the poorest sections of society with little access to
IT.
The Forrester survey also shows that the biggest beneficiaries of a
move to e-voting would be the Liberal Democrats - whose share
 | | "It took a decade for the use of
the telephone as the main means of contacting voters to catch on by
1997. E-canvassing could take as long, if not longer.'' | | | | | |
| | Labour strategist | | |
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of the vote would surge by a half from 14% to 21%, against 43% for
Labour and 30% for the Tories.
This may explain the major parties' reservations about such a
radical change and the Liberal Democrats' enthusiasm for
e-campaigning. They have made a major investment in their Web site
and an interactive e-mail system to tap into the wired voter.
One insider told me of the success of electronic campaigning in the
Romsey by-election when the Liberal Democrats stunned the Tories by
seizing the previously safe seat. There were more than 20,000
visitors to their electronic information sites in a contest that
saw them overturn a majority of almost 20,000.
A similar e-effect repeated across the UK would add at least 15
more seats to the Liberal Democrats' 1997 general election total of
46 - a one third overall gain which supports the Forrester Research
findings.
The main parties have been determined not to be left behind. Even
in the brave new electronic world, the politicians' old-fashioned
values of slagging each other off have not been abandoned.
Labour, who secretly considered "spamming'' as a means of
e-canvassing, are now accusing the Tories of doing just that. The
Conservatives allege Labour asked would-be merchandise purchasers
to send in unprotected credit card details, thus opening them up to
e-fraud.
Both allegations are hotly denied, of course, but not one of the
main parties disputes their heavy spending on new IT. The Tories
admit to "substantial investment'' - apparently well into six
figures - in a new ultra-sophisticated Web site. This is carefully
designed to be attractive to Web users, especially the young, and
to allow intensive questioning of specific policy issues.
The Tories' aim, like that of the Liberal Democrats, is to set up a
dialogue with Web site visitors on what concerns them. One senior
insider said: "The contest is much greater and more varied. It's
like a Sunday newspaper. We get enquiries from people with vastly
different interests. We have 50 or more sections. Each contact may
discard 24 but it could be a different 24. This means we can get
through to people with very different interests in a way we can't
with traditional campaigning.''
The Tories have used electronic advertisements - especially on the
issue of the future of the pound - and intend to do more, which has
led to the Labour allegation of "spamming''. But they are adamant
that the only people who receive them are those who have contacted
the party in response to traditional campaigns and agreed to be
e-mailed.
Labour emphasise that they too use a permission-based system of
e-canvassing. The success of their Excalibur rapid rebuttal IT
system at the last election convinced the party of the importance
of the computer as campaign tool. After a heavy revamp, Excalibur
is back in action and the Tories are understood to have their own
version.
The new Excalibur is only part of a massive IT investment which
probably beats the Conservatives' spend. Labour have a redesigned,
user-friendly Web site. At its heart is a "critical map'' allowing
voters not only to find the national manifesto, speeches and
campaign points but to home in on specific issues and policy areas.
Users can also focus geographically on the benefits Labour claim to
have brought to the region, constituency or even ward in terms of
jobs, schools and hospitals.
One Labour IT chief said: "We have been looking at how to put our
message across in new ways to new people. People who surf the Web
don't want to see the same old policies in the same old
way.''
Some of the evidence says the opposite - that those voters who
access the party Web sites are already heavy consumers of politics
in terms of TV, radio and the newspapers. And a senior Labour
strategist agrees. "It took a decade for the use of the telephone
as the main means of contacting voters to catch on by 1997," he
pointed out. "E-canvassing could take as long, if not
longer.''
And there is another factor. Many of those who use the Web are
young and less engaged in the traditional political processes than
older voters. In short, they are just the people Tony Blair,
William Hague and Charles Kennedy are looking to enthuse.
If more of these young people are encouraged to use their votes and
if more traditional electors use the Web to get their information,
e-campaigning could have a profound effect on the UK's democracy
and on the understanding and use of the electronic media.
Just as Wilson's 1964 TV triumph marked the dawn of a new era, 2001
could be the year e-politics comes of age. And in ten years' time -
when Blair might be bidding for his fourth term of office -
e-voting may be the main means of registering our choice.
That's if it doesn't happen even sooner.