However I would still be nervous about relying on any government resisting the temptation to retain information as to how its citizens might choose to vote, particularly given the desire of the British government to retain a record of just about every other digital transaction people might choose to undertake.

Second, your conclusion “In other words, text your preference, and tell the authorities exactly how you vote.” negates the fact that the Estonian software will strip out your identifying data. Recall that Estonia started national online voting last year and used it without a problem.

It’s not simply that you’re texting your vote like you text your buddy across town. There’s an entire infrastructure that Estonia has created to have a secure, digital ID — and it works well for voting and other government interactions. When Estonia does allow voting via mobile phone, it will not allow government officials to know who you voted for.