A survey of 1700 eligible voters, conducted by broadband comparison site cable.co.uk, revealed that 42% of non-voters in the UK general election would be more likely to vote via the internet if they were able to do so. A further 50% of respondents who were undecided about whether they were going to vote said that they would be more inclined if they could cast their ballots online. 47% of all respondents, including voters and non-voters, said that an online voting system would increase their likelihood of participating in the election.

The findings reinforce the recommendations of the Digital Democracy Commission, which two years ago suggested that online voting be implemented for all voters by 2020. Established by commons speaker John Bercow, it advised that online voting, “has the potential greatly to increase the convenience and accessibility of voting.”

The move has so-far been hindered by concerns over cyber-security, with critics suggesting that it could encourage electoral fraud and compromise secrecy of the ballot.

Estonia is considered to be the world leader in online voting, having allowed citizens to vote remotely over the internet since 2007. In their 2015 Parliamentary Elections, 30.5% of all participants cast their ballots online.