People already can shop, gamble, visit family and even see a doctor online. Soon, Honolulu residents may be voting via the Internet.

A resolution introduced yesterday in the City Council directs the city clerk to explore the viability of online voting. The idea is to boost participation by making voting more convenient, said Councilman Donovan Dela Cruz, who introduced the measure. Online voting also could save money by reducing the need for paper ballots and polling places.

However, those benefits come with the added potential for fraud via hacking, voter impersonation or other means.

The drive to boost voter participation comes on the heels of November's voter turnout of 65.9 percent statewide and 66.0 percent on O'ahu. Local officials had hoped turnout would be higher with Honolulu-born Barack Obama on the ballot, as well as a Honolulu mayoral race and rail-transit referendum.

"We still had a low turnout," Dela Cruz said. "I think we have to adapt to help ensure additional participation.

"It's not going to happen overnight, but we need a starting point and we need to take it seriously."

The state Legislature is considering a variety of Internet and mail-in voting measures, including bills that would establish an online voting pilot project for out-of-state voters and another that would prohibit electronic voting systems from connecting to the Internet.

Internet voting for Honolulu Neighborhood Boards was conducted on a limited trial basis in 2007. This year, the board elections will be the first paperless elections in the state. The initiative was mainly driven by budget cuts. Paper ballots would cost the city $294,913, the Neighborhood Commission estimates. The paperless option the commission approved is expected to cost $154,625.

"We're the guinea pigs, so to speak," said commission chairman Grant Tanimoto. "You get a password, you go online and you vote. That's the concept, basically."

Unlike elected city officials, Neighborhood Board members serve only in an advisory role. That means any online city elections likely will need greater security safeguards.

Acting City Clerk Bernice Mau said the city will need to balance convenience with security, just as it does with the existing mail-in absentee voting system. The city safeguards that system in part by conducting spot checks of ballot signatures against voter signatures on file, she said.

"Since the council is interested in (online voting) ... we will be talking with the state Office of Elections and the other county clerks," she said. "Personally, I think it's a good idea.

"It's going to come soon, they just have to balance out the convenience with the security measures."