America updates rules on electronic voting

Washington

IN an age where people can transfer money using their mobile device, it's not hard to envision a future where citizens wake up on Election Day, pull out their phones and choose the next leader of the Free World on the way to work.

Last week, a federal election agency in America took a small step towards that futuristic vision. The Election Assistance Commission, a body created in the aftermath of the 2000 presidential election, approved a measure to update the guidelines against which manufacturers test electronic voting machines to make sure they are secure and accessible. "The guidelines we have now are so old that the iPhone hadn't even come out when they were written," said Christy McCormick, the commission's chairwoman.