Is mVoting the way forward?

Given that so many of us carry out day to day secure activities online it is extraordinary that it is taking so long to modernise the way voters engage.

At Labour Party Conference, I sat on a panel discussing the possibility of voting on a mobile phone.

Over the last 30 years the number of people voting in elections has dropped considerably, and there's particular concern about how few young people vote compared with those over 50. With 64% of Britons now owning a smartphone, with the youngest the biggest users by far, one potential solution may be mVoting. If you can text your vote in from your sofa for X-Factor, why not for a general election?

The Speakers Digital Democracy Commission, of which I am a member, is considering mVoting as part of its work to modernise Parliament. As a Commission we've heard a lot of evidence about the technical possibilities but also, crucially, about wider engagement and how technology could connect and engage citizens with elected politicians.

The panel discussion and subsequent Q&A was lively and informative. It was great to hear the views of fellow panellists Sophy Ridge from Sky News, Michael Page from Ipsos MORI, Michael Sani from Bite the Ballot and Dan Perlet from EE.

In years to come people will no doubt laugh at our old fashioned system just as a five year old is amazed to learn about black and white TV.