The Hague - The Dutch government says it will not use its usual computer software to tally and transmit election results amid reports that the software is outdated and could easily be hacked.
Interior Minister Ronald Plasterk says in a letter to Parliament that "no shadow can be allowed to hang over the result" of the March 15 election.
Plasterk says municipalities and electoral regions will now have to tally all votes by hand. Dutch voters mark their choice in red pencil on a ballot paper.
Amid fears of possible attempts to hack the results, the Dutch national electoral commission said this week that a computer security company was investigating election software for possible vulnerabilities. That investigation is continuing.
