Electronic voting technologies

Abstract

The article describes modern electronic voting technologies used in various countries of the world, such as Estonia, the United States, countries of the African continent, and others. The authors also consider the main technologies of electronic voting, which are currently widely used in Russia. With the development of digital technologies, there is a tendency for their ubiquity. Various democratic institutions, in turn, have excellent potential for digitalization. One of the results of this synergy was the emergence of such a phenomenon as electronic voting. Most often, electronic voting is classified according to the principle of their interaction with the voter. The first category is remote electronic voting, which includes online voting. This type of electronic voting is used for remote registration of the will of voters. Citizens, instead of visiting a polling station, vote using a home or work personal computer that is connected to the Internet. Can also use the computers installed in the booths in public places – in schools, libraries, etc. The second category in the above classification is voting using electronic means at polling stations. These include so-called «electronic» ballot boxes, electronic technical means for automating vote counting, and various automated systems for automating the election process as a whole and its various stages separately. In addition to considering the methods and technologies of electronic voting, the article also partially describes the methods and problems associated with the identification and formation of voter lists in electronic voting. The authors consider, among other things, the advantages and disadvantages of elective modern technologies. The main advantages of using electronic voting include automating the voting procedure, reducing financial and time costs, and improving the convenience of voting for certain categories of citizens. The disadvantages of the electronic voting technologies used are the lack of public confidence in electronic forms of voting, the likely violation of the principle of secrecy of voting, technical complexity, insufficient reliability compared to «traditional» methods of voting and summing up results, as well as problems with voter identification.