The Digital Divide and Internet Voting Acceptance

Governments and corporations are increasingly considering the use of the Internet for individuals to cast votes. Yet, not everyone has access to and is comfortable with the use of technology. This is the problem of the digital divide. This study explores the impact of the digital divide on Internet voting (I-voting). A model of I-voting and the digital divide is proposed. The proposed model suggests that age, income, education and frequency of Internet use have an impact on I-voting utilization. To test the model both an online and paper-based version of the survey was administered to a large sample of citizens. The results of multiple linear regressions indicate that age and income (access and skills) have a significant impact on Internet voting. These findings indicate that, like other e-government services, I-voting is subject to the barriers associated with the digital divide, and this digital divide introduces several challenges to government agencies.