Opinion: We Should Be Able to Vote with our Phones
By Feven Tesfaye
As a soon-to-be first-time voter in Minnesota this fall, I have been eagerly awaiting the first time I can actually cast a vote. Since childhood, I have understood the importance of voting because both my parents are immigrants from Ethiopia. The ability to have your voice heard in decision-making, let alone cast a ballot, was rare. However, when they moved into Savage, Minnesota, where I have lived all my life, they took my sister and me to a polling place every election, with large grins, and showed us how lucky we were to be in a place that prioritized all voices. But recently, as the days draw near for me to actually vote, it has become more abstract and distant. Even though I have participated in democracy in many forms, from organizing voter registration drives to joining Youth in Government, the biggest driver of democracy, voting, has become harder than before.
Through the Minnesota Youth Council and my other civic activities, I have found that youth are eager and enthusiastic about voting, yet the process can seem challenging. I have talked to students who were unaware of the locations of polling stations, the acceptable forms of identification, or how to fit voting into their busy schedules filled with classes, additional education, and paid jobs. I have even had to verify the details myself to ensure I had grasped all the necessary information. Additionally, for some Minnesotans, particularly those in rural communities, voting may require hours of travel. This is not a matter of indifference but of accessibility. That is why I believe we need to go where the voters are, and for my generation, that is on our mobile phones.
As you have probably noticed, young people have become accustomed to using our mobile phones for almost any activity: organizing school events, organizing statewide campaigns, and participating in civic and political debates. However, when it comes to something as vital as voting, we are forced to participate in a process that does not yet correspond to our way of life.
Minnesota can begin to change that with Senate File 4559/House File 4962, a bipartisan bill that would allow cities to offer mobile voting in municipal elections, if they choose. It’s not a mandate, but it would give local communities the option to offer this voting method. It would not replace in-person or mail-in voting. It would just be an additional way to participate.
It might sound futuristic, but there have been successful mobile voting pilots in 11 states, both red and blue. When a Seattle conservation board election implemented mobile voting for all eligible voters, turnout doubled. In Charleston, South Carolina, there were high cost and time savings for voters who used mobile voting, reduced processing costs for mail ballots, and faster election results. After a 2019 pilot in Denver for military and overseas citizens, 100% of people surveyed said they preferred mobile voting over traditional methods.
Of course, security is as important as accessibility. My generation banks on our smartphones, communicates using them, and organizes our lives with technology protected by multi-factor authentication and encryption. Mobile voting is not only possible but also safe and transparent as long as it includes these protections, even encouraging young voters who are still getting familiar with the process to participate. Mobile voting would not take away from other voting methods. It will only add to them.
As a first-time voter, I don’t want the hardest part of participating in democracy to be figuring out how to vote. It should be the responsibility of making an informed choice. The future of voting should reflect the way we live today, and for my generation, that future is already in our hands.
