Electronic voting during (any type of) elections should become a reality (and mandatory) in Century XXI
Author’s Note: during Catalonia’s elections this Sunday, 12th May, 2024, I will be attending and acting as a legal representative of a political party. I will do my best to deliver another article on Monday next week, the day I usually publish my content. However, please consider this situation if I’m behind schedule writing another post. Thanks in advance for your understanding.
2024 is not just another year; it’s a pivotal moment for democracy on a global scale. As highlighted in a Proton blog post, more than 60 countries, representing nearly 4 billion people (that’s half the world’s population), are gearing up for national elections. This presents a unique opportunity for significant progress and positive change in our global democracy.
This situation has kept me thinking about the stark disparity in election systems across the globe. Some countries, like Estonia with its advanced e-voting system, are “so advanced” in this digital era for some processes, while others, like most European countries (we are not talking about certain African nations here), are “so behind” in comparison.
This disparity should be a cause for concern. However, it’s important to note that Estonia’s electronic voting system has been in place since 2005 and has proven secure and reliable, serving as a successful model for other countries to follow.
And, yet, even with this advanced digital landscape we have nowadays, democracy is still based on a very old-fashioned approach, where randomly selected people chosen as president or vocal need to be at a school at 8 AM to get ready for the elections (officially starting at 9 AM), until 9 PM (officially ending) then to begin a manual (human) counting of all parties ballots.
That’s an average of 14 hours out of home, doing a “public service” that is not appropriately compensated, and that might lead you to get fines or even face prison if you don’t want to go there. Moreover, the manual counting of ballots can be prone to errors and delays, potentially undermining the integrity of the election results.
I’ve been thinking about the electronic voting approach for a while now, and I am shocked so few countries are even offering this option to their citizens. But we, as informed and engaged citizens, can play a crucial role in advocating for this change.
Although I may not have the opportunity to understand all the legal requirements necessary to handle this process correctly, several key factors are (or should be) standard in any country that calls itself a democracy. These are grouped into three main categories: rights, duties and warranties:
All national citizens who are voting must have the following rights:
- Right to Vote: Citizens have the fundamental right to vote for their chosen candidates in elections, ensuring their participation in the democratic process.
- Right to Privacy: Voters can cast their votes in secrecy without interference or coercion, ensuring their choices remain confidential.
- Right to Information: Citizens can access relevant information about candidates, political parties, and election processes to make informed voting decisions.
- Right to Equal Representation: Every citizen can be represented fairly and equally in government regardless of race, gender, religion, or socioeconomic status.
- Right to Free and Fair Elections: Citizens have the right to participate in elections that are free, fair, and transparent without manipulation, fraud, or intimidation.
All national citizens who are voting must have the following duties:
- Voting: While voting is a right, it is also a civic duty. Citizens are encouraged to exercise their right to vote and participate actively in the electoral process to ensure a representative government.
- Respecting Election Laws: Citizens must abide by election laws and regulations, including those related to campaigning, voting procedures, and electoral conduct.
- Respecting Others’ Rights: Citizens should respect others’ rights to freely express their political opinions, participate in campaigns, and support their chosen candidates without fear of discrimination or harassment.
- Promoting Civic Engagement: Citizens must promote civic engagement within their communities by encouraging others to register to vote, educating them about the electoral process, and fostering discussions on important issues.
- Accepting Election Results: Regardless of personal preferences, citizens are expected to accept the outcome of elections and respect the legitimacy of elected officials.
All national citizens who are voting must have the following warranties:
- Right to a Free and Fair Process: Citizens have the warranty that the electoral process will be conducted fairly and transparently, without undue influence or bias.
- Protection from Voter Intimidation: Citizens are warranted protection from intimidation, coercion, or harassment intended to suppress their right to vote or influence their voting decisions.
- Access to Voting Facilities: Citizens are warranted access to accessible and well-equipped polling stations to cast their votes without any barriers or discrimination.
- Accurate Vote Counting: Citizens have the warranty that their votes will be accurately counted and accounted for, ensuring the integrity of the electoral process.
- Legal Recourse: In case of any violations of electoral rights or irregularities in the electoral process, citizens have the warranty of legal recourse to seek justice and uphold their rights.
Now that we understand the requirements, we can consider the technical approach to implementing an electronic voting system.
It’s important to note that this process is not as simple as some might believe, but it’s designed with all the points listed above in mind, ensuring a robust, secure, and reliable system.
- Secure Infrastructure: Establish a robust and secure digital infrastructure to support the voting process, including servers, databases, and networks.
- Encryption: Implement robust encryption protocols to ensure the confidentiality and integrity of voter data and election results. Electronic voting systems employ advanced encryption methods, making it extremely difficult for any unauthorized party to access or manipulate the data, thus ensuring the security of the voting process.
- Authentication: Develop reliable methods for authenticating voters’ identities, such as biometric (Face ID or Fingerprints) or multi-factor authentication (ID Card number + TOTP sent to the citizen on demand).
- Accessibility: Ensure the digital voting system is accessible to all citizens, including those with disabilities or limited technological literacy (this might be the most complicated point to achieve, as many factors are involved here, including disabilities and age).
- Transparency: Guarantee transparency throughout the voting process, including how votes are cast, counted, and recorded.
- Audit Trail: Create an auditable trail of digital votes to allow for verification and auditing of election results.
- Testing and Validation: Thoroughly test and validate the digital voting system to identify and mitigate potential vulnerabilities or weaknesses.
- Backup and Redundancy: Implement backup systems and redundancy measures to prevent system failures or disruptions during voting.
- Legal Framework: Establish clear legal frameworks and regulations governing digital voting, including data protection, privacy, and cybersecurity laws.
- Education and Training: Provide comprehensive education and training programs for voters, election officials, and IT personnel to ensure they can securely use and administer the digital voting system.
- Contingency Planning: Develop contingency plans for addressing unforeseen issues or emergencies during voting, such as cyberattacks or technical failures.
- Public Confidence: Build public confidence in the digital voting system through transparent communication, independent audits, and rigorous security measures. Also, showcasing the platform’s logic to anyone through Open-Source repositories ensures anyone can review its implementation.
- Independent Oversight: Ensure independent oversight and monitoring of the digital voting process to maintain integrity and fairness.
- Continuous Improvement: Commit to continuous improvement and refinement of the digital voting system based on feedback, evaluations, and technological advancements.
Like everything, significant and critical changes (especially in transcendental processes like democracy and elections) must be considered and taken carefully, as they will profoundly impact society.
We should consider all the advantages (or pros) and disadvantages (or cons) of a country offering digital voting systems.
Advantages:
- Efficiency: Digital voting systems can expedite the voting process, potentially reducing long queues and wait times at polling stations. This increased efficiency can also lead to higher voter turnout, as it eliminates many of the barriers that might discourage people from voting, such as long wait times or inconvenient polling locations.
- Accessibility: Electronic voting systems can be designed to accommodate voters with disabilities, such as providing options for audio ballots or touchscreen interfaces.
- Accuracy: Digital voting systems can minimize errors associated with manual vote counting, leading to more accurate election results.
- Convenience: Voters can cast their ballots from remote locations, reducing the need to travel to physical polling stations.
- Reduced Costs: Over time, electronic voting systems are more cost-effective than traditional paper-based voting methods, eliminating the need for printing and distributing paper ballots.
- Environmental Impact: Digital voting systems have the potential to reduce paper usage, leading to ecological benefits such as decreased deforestation and waste.
- Faster Results: Electronic voting systems allow election results to be tabulated and announced more quickly, providing timely information to the public and reducing uncertainty.
Disadvantages:
- Security Concerns: Digital voting systems are susceptible to hacking, tampering, and other cybersecurity threats, which could undermine the integrity of the election process.
- Vulnerability to Malfunctions: Electronic voting systems may experience technical glitches or malfunctions, potentially leading to lost votes or inaccurate voting results.
- Digital Divide: Not all citizens may have access to the necessary technology or internet connectivity required to participate in electronic voting, exacerbating inequalities in the electoral process.
- Lack of Transparency: Some electronic voting systems may need more transparency, making it difficult for voters and election observers to verify the accuracy and integrity of the voting process.
- Privacy Concerns: Electronic voting systems raise concerns about the privacy of voters’ personal information and the security of their digital identities.
- Dependency on Technology: Electronic voting systems are dependent on technology, making them vulnerable to power outages, cyberattacks, or other disruptions that could impede the voting process.
- Resistance to Change: Introducing electronic voting systems may face resistance from stakeholders accustomed to traditional paper-based voting methods, leading to scepticism and mistrust.
Personally, I believe electronic voting systems would:
- Engage more citizens to vote, as they get easier access from home
- Guarantee accurate results, as my vote can’t be manipulated by anyone
- Ensure transparency in real-time, as citizens and news media could get real-time counters at any time of the day
I would definitely use an electronic voting system. What about you?
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