In the digital government research literature, the concept of trust is typically used as a precondition for the adoption of digital technology in the public sector or an outcome of a roadmap leading up to such adoption. The concept plays a central role in many decisions linked to the planning, adoption and management of the public sector technology. In contrast, the concept of distrust is almost neglected in such literature but,...

In the digital government research literature, the concept of trust is typically used as a precondition for the adoption of digital technology in the public sector or an outcome of a roadmap leading up to such adoption. The concept plays a central role in many decisions linked to the planning, adoption and management of the public sector technology. In contrast, the concept of...

Each and every case of success and failure in the implementation of internet voting is permeated by a common element: the concept of trust. Several researchers highlighted the relevance of creating trust for the successful implementation of technology [15] and, in particular, of internet voting [13]. But the concept itself is complex and challenging to define, for one fundamental reason: it is a concept of everyday social use...

This paper focuses on the complex dynamics of trust and distrust in digital government technologies by approaching the cancellation of machine voting in the Netherlands (2006-07). This case describes how a previously trusted system can collapse, how paradoxical the relationship between trust and distrust is, and how it interacts with adopting and managing electoral technologies. The analysis stresses how, although...