E-voting: Essential to the future of democracy

It's difficult to get excited at the prospect of a local election but today's could turn out to be more historic than most.

It's not just that the shock first round electoral success of Jean-Marie Le Pen in France has shown how a low turnout at elections can allow extremists to get themselves elected.

Today's election also offers the first step in the modernisation of the voting process which will be essential to keeping our democratic institutions alive in the coming century.

While political apathy is a big problem, many voters fail to exercise their democratic prerogative because of the sheer difficulty of getting to a polling station and casting a vote.

One silicon.com reporter was late for work today because he had to get to the polling station before work, and outside the big cities where the distances travelled are longer, the logistical nightmare of voting becomes even more significant.

So three cheers for the array of pilot projects taking place across the country today.

From text message voting in Liverpool to touch-screen terminals at Sainsbury's in St Albans, voting online has an important role to play in combating voter apathy.

There are bound to be stories of security problems in the days ahead and there are always teething troubles with any new technologies.

But this opportunity is too important to allow a few glitches and gremlins get in the way. The UK needs e-voting - whether by web, by interactive television, by kiosk or by mobile - and the sooner the better.