Poll: Millennials eager for online voting

by Mario Trujillo - 02/03/15 2:24 PM ET

Nearly half of young people say they would be more likely to vote in the 2016 presidential election if they could cast their ballot online, according to poll released Tuesday.

The Fusion poll, which surveyed 18-to-34 year olds, found that 49 percent said an online system could encourage them to vote. A large portion, 42 percent, said voting online would make no real difference. Another 8 percent said they would be less likely to vote if it was made available online.

{mosads}Thirty-eight percent said they would be more likely to vote if they could do it over their mobile phone. Forty-eight percent said it would make no difference, and 13 percent said they would be less likely.

Only about one in four people said they would be more likely to vote if there were racially diverse or younger candidates.

The poll found younger people are most inclined to vote online or by phone. There was nearly a 10-point preference for voting online or by phone among 18-to-24 year olds compared to 30-to-34 year olds.

Forty-nine percent of young people said they would absolutely vote in 2016, while 28 percent said it is likely and 14 percent it is possible. Another 8 percent said they were unlikely to vote.

The National Conference of State Legislatures notes that states are not considering proposals to conduct U.S. elections entirely online. But there are a number of exceptions, including Alaska, which allows eligible voters to submit ballots online.

A number of security experts have raised caution about the Alaska model first implemented for the 2012 election. Only a small percentage of Alaskans, however, take advantage of the system.