Petition · past parliament · Cabinet Office
Ban vote counting machines in elections
Closed
1,134 signatures
What the petition asks
Ban the unnecessary and additional use of vote counting machines and software in our democratic election process.
The Government and Parliament should ensure that all elections will be conducted on the trusted hand counted paper ballot process that has been successful for hundreds of years.
The Government and Parliament should ensure that all elections will be conducted on the trusted hand counted paper ballot process that has been successful for hundreds of years.
Concerns include proprietary software running non-transparent source code, concerns over weighted mathematical algorithms, technical security & operational vulnerabilities and reduced technical and knowledge gap oversight.
In the 2021 London & Scottish elections, private international companies have been contracted to deliver end-to-end services, software and technical infrastructure for the electronic counting of votes. Undoubtedly lobbying for broader use will ensue.
In the 2021 London & Scottish elections, private international companies have been contracted to deliver end-to-end services, software and technical infrastructure for the electronic counting of votes. Undoubtedly lobbying for broader use will ensue.
Timeline
| 26 Feb 2021 | Petition opened for signatures |
| 26 Aug 2021 | Closed to new signatures |
Key facts
Signatures
1,134
Status
Closed
Department
Cabinet Office
Opened
26 Feb 2021
Closed
26 Aug 2021
Follow this petition
Sign in to get an email when the government responds, a debate is scheduled or held, or the petition closes.
Source: the official petition page. Last checked 15 Jul 2026.