Plan for internet voting rejected

On 25 January 2009, Barcelona president Joan Laporta announced in an interview with the club's official television channel Barça TV that the club was looking into the option of allowing club members to vote through the internet in the presidential elections next year:

"We are examining some changes to the club's by-laws and I'm particularly looking forward to the vote through the internet. We are working to make it possible. I think the vote through the internet, besides at the same time keeping the option of going to vote in person at the club, would stimulate the participation of the socis all around the world.

The option of internet voting would adapt the election process to the youngest club members and to those who are living in other places of the world. And when I was speaking to some older club members the other day, one of them told me that it would make it easier for the older people to take part in the vote. Moreover, it would give us a modern image."

On 4 June, Laporta repeated his wish to introduce internet voting in an interview with Catalan radio station RAC 1: "It would be very important that people could vote through the internet because this would mean a new stimulus for the modernization of the club. Several technical tests are being carried out and I hope it will be possible for the next presidential elections."

A few weeks later, the option of internet voting was nevertheless definitely off the table when the club officially announced on 28 July the changes the board would propose to the General Assembly on 19 August. The internet vote wasn't among the proposals on which the Assembly would have to vote.

Several media claimed that president Laporta had to give up the plan because of the opposition he faced by both people from the entourage of the club and board members, who all had doubts on the reliability of internet voting. Catalan sports paper Sport reported that Laporta had lost the week before a board vote with the majority of the directors rejecting that change of the by-laws.

At a press conference, board secretary Josep Cubells confirmed that the possibility of voting by internet was ruled out because of the lack of reliability: "It's true that we have been examining the option of internet voting for the next presidential elections. But after analyzing the systems that are available on the market right now, we rejected the option because we didn't find a system that could give us full guarantees."

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