The Estonian Parliament has passed a law that will allow the country to vote by cell phone in the next parliamentary election in 2011.

This law is a step up from last year when citizens could send their votes over the Internet. The cell phones will each have a free, authorized chip for their phone which will verify their identity.

Many people have been worrying about the security associated with voting from a cell phone, but according to an audit done by a security firm the voting is very secure. Also last year when they used the Internet voting there were many worries over voter fraud and manipulation, but the system worked seamlessly.

Estonia is the first country to have cell phone voting, but supposedly Finland and Sweden also have the capability to hold one.

Voting by cell seems like a very convenient way to encourage the younger populations to vote since it is so easy. If the US ever adopted a system like this, voting from your computer or your cell phone from within the comfort of home, I think we would see a massive spike in “voter turnout.” But first let’s wait and see how everything works out in Estonia.

Via AP