Technology at All Stages of the Electoral Process
Elections are the core of the democratic process. Some of the first documented elections took place around 500 BC in Ancient Greece, where male landowners wrote the name of the candidate they most wanted exiled for the next ten years on broken pieces of clay pots. If the threshold of 6000 votes was met, the […]
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Voting From Abroad – Partial Digitalisation in 5 Upcoming Elections
Overseas voting would seem to be an obvious use case for digital democracy. Yet for citizens living abroad voting can be an odd mix of old and new.
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How E-Voting Can Boost Political Responsiveness
Whether we vote manually or using voting machines may seem like a purely formal matter. Yet the case of Brazil demonstrates how a voting system can actually improve citizens’ well-being through higher and more equal political participation.
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Switzerland Resumes i-Voting Trials Ahead of Federal Election
When Swiss voters head to the polls in October for the country’s federal elections, there’s a good chance that a modest proportion of ballots will be cast online using Swiss Post’s revamped i-voting system. The prospect has been welcomed by many Swiss living abroad. Furthermore, repeated polls in recent years suggest that a majority of […]
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The Front Lines of Digital Democracy – Securing i-Voting in Estonia
Estonia is seen as leading the way when it comes to i-Voting. Yet even with an established foundation, i-Voting is always facing fresh challenges.
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Bulgaria’s Ongoing Voting Machine Saga
After a rapid series of changes to voting rules, Bulgarians are using a variety of paper ballots and machine voting, which is the result of an ongoing struggle between opposing parties. The means of voting itself has become a political issue, threatening to undermine public confidence in the elections.
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Blockchain Voting: Decentralised, Transparent Elections?
Blockchain technology could provide essential security features for i-voting. South Korea, Greenland and the USA, are exploring possible implementations. In this article, we investigate the current state of Blockchain-based election systems.
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Glorified Printers: The Uncertain Future of Bulgaria’s Voting Machines
The reinstatement of paper ballots in Bulgaria has raised fears of a return to vote buying and electoral manipulation.
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“Politicians are afraid of instruments they do not control”
Multicast's CEO Giovanni Di Sotto and CTO Roberto Spagna talk about their SkyVote platform, the challenges of hosting a primary online, and the status of e-voting in Italy.
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Hackers Test Swiss Post’s New i-Voting System
Swiss Post’s internet voting system has withstood over 60,000 attacks by ethical hackers. But obstacles remain to a full roll-out of the system.
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How Liz Truss became the UK’s Next Prime Minister after Online Vote
For the first time in the party's history, Britain's Conservatives are allowing members to vote online in their leadership contest. The stakes are very high – the winner will take up residence at 10 Downing Street.
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6 Candidates Elected in Digital Primaries
More and more political parties are opening up their leadership contests to online votes. A list of 6 candidates elected in digital primaries.
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Manufacturing Distrust: Voting Machines in Bulgaria
In May 2021, Bulgaria's parliament passed a law making the use of voting machines compulsory. But since the law came into effect, public trust in the machines has suffered. A cautionary tale for democracy technology providers and political innovators everywhere.
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Is Internet Voting Safe?
In 2005, Estonia held its first general election over the internet, becoming the first country in Europe to fully introduce i-voting. Initially, less than 2 % of voters chose to cast their vote online, but over the years, that number grew to over 40 %. Internet voting has become routine practice, so much so that it is no longer predicted by age, education, gender, or income.
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