Electronic voting machines bought by the Government are not in danger of being bugged, a major Dutch inquiry that has led to a ban on another type of e-voting machine has found.
The investigation by the Dutch intelligence service found that 1,200 terminals made by a company called Sdu could be hacked into using a simple radio receiver because they emitted so much radiation.
As a result, voters in The Netherlands's general election later this month in Amsterdam, Eindhoven and Tilburg will now have to cast their ballots with pencil and paper.
However, other terminals, manufactured by Nedap, could not be interfered with in the same way, though extra precautions are to be taken in coming weeks to ensure that hackers cannot physically break into them.
Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government Dick Roche is leading a Cabinet subcommittee investigating measures to improve the software used in the Nedap machines.
The Dutch inquiry, though positive, would not have any implications for Ireland: "The Government will take its own decisions in this area," a department t spokesman said last night.
The Dutch inquiry found that Sdu e-voting computers could be easily intercepted from up to 30 m (98ft) away by a hacker using a radio receiver.
Explaining the ban on the Sdu-manufactured terminals, the Dutch minister for reform, Atzo Nicolai, said: "What can be detected is the image on the screen that's visible to the voter, by which his voting could be monitored."
A sample of all ballots cast electronically on the Nedap machines will be tested before the general election results are certified to ensure that no fraud has occurred.
A full review of the Nedap technology will then take place.
Nedap's chief technical officer Matthijs Schippers, speaking to a Dutch news agency, said he was confident that his company's machines were secure from vote tampering.
Meanwhile, Irish voters have been encouraged to check a Department of the Environment website, www.checktheregister.ie, to ensure that they are registered properly to vote in next year's general election in Ireland.
