The Coalition for Free and Fair Elections “Pod lupom” has been intensively advocating to introduce new technologies into the electoral process for several years, i.e., to introduce electronic voter identification, ballot scanners and entry of voting results from the polling station level, as this is the best way to prevent election theft and fraud in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The demands of the citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina to introduce new technologies are becoming louder and louder. The petition to introduce new technologies implemented by the Coalition “Pod lupom” was signed by almost 100,000 citizens across the country. It is becoming increasingly clear that in Bosnia and Herzegovina’s society, there is a widespread desire to modernise elections as well as to protect the real electoral will of citizens.
The use of new technologies in the election process brings numerous advantages that significantly improve the integrity, transparency and efficiency of elections. Some of the advantages brought by new technologies in the electoral process are: accuracy, speed, security and the possibility to provide post-election forensics/analysis, i.e. additional checks. In practice, this would mean, among other things, that every vote is counted, that the published results are accurate, and that the first election results are obtained just a few minutes after polling stations are closed.
Below we bring you some advantages of introducing new technologies into the electoral process and provide examples of benefits in countries where those are applied.
Accuracy is a key advantage brought by new technologies in the electoral process. Electronic systems enable accurate counting of votes without human intervention, eliminating the possibility to add or cancel votes by individuals or political parties’ Polling Station Committees. This ensures that election results reflect the true will of the citizens, thereby restoring confidence in electoral processes. Examples include Estonia, which has implemented electronic voting with a high degree of accuracy, and South Korea, which uses modern technologies to accurately count votes.
Speed is another important advantage of new technologies. Preliminary election results can be announced just minutes after voting ends, and turnout can be monitored in real time. This reduces the waiting time to obtain results. Countries to quick announce results are countries to use electronic voting such as India and Finland.
Security is also a key component of new technologies in the electoral process. Voice data is protected by encryption and it is difficult to access or manipulate them. Examples of secure election systems can be found in Estonia, where an modern system of data protection and encryption in electronic voting has been implemented.
Post-election forensics/analysis enables detailed verification of all results and irregularities, which facilitates the determination of responsibility and increases the chances to impose sanctions. Examples of election forensics can be found in many countries that use modern technologies to monitor and analyse election results to ensure the integrity of the election process.
Combination of the above- mentioned advantages obligate decision makers in Bosnia and Herzegovina to use new technologies in the electoral process. Introduction of new technologies will prevent numerous election thefts and frauds, and the authorities will finally show their commitment to protecting the votes of citizens-voters and protecting electoral integrity, which is, ultimately, their commitment towards free and fair elections in BiH.
