International Journal of Cyber Diplomacy / 2021, Volume 2



Elections during Pandemics. Is I-voting a Viable Solution?

Vlad Cosmin ADAMESCU

vlad.adamescu@kcl.ac.uk


Abstract:

The Covid-19 pandemic has renewed interest in alternative voting systems, including remote electronic voting, as governments all over the world were forced both to postpone elections and/or to implement new ways of allowing citizens to cast their ballots in a safe environment. Online voting can increase turnout and make it easier for disadvantaged categories of voters (older, out-of-country, disabled) to express their political preferences. This article examines how countries have adapted their voting arrangements to ensure social distancing and special sanitary conditions. It then provides an overview of i-voting, before going more in depth about the constitutional and legal requirements that must be fulfilled before an online voting system can be implemented. The Council of Europe’s guidelines on the subject provide meaningful assistance in drafting the legislation necessary to implement i-voting. Finally, the question of turnout is considered, by focusing on the Baltic states, of which only Estonia uses i-voting and has had consistently higher turnout rates in legislative elections since the introduction of online voting, when compared to its neighbours.

Keywords:
Estonia, Elections, Pandemics, REV, I-voting, Turnout

Full text:

CITE THIS PAPER AS:
Vlad Cosmin ADAMESCU, "Elections during Pandemics. Is I-voting a Viable Solution?", International Journal of Cyber Diplomacy, ISSN 2668-8662, vol. 2, pp. None, 2021.