An open houses have been launched in the premises of the Central Election Commission of Bosnia and Herzegovina (CEC BiH), where new technologies in the election process will be presented until October 13.
The equipment contains a biometric fingerprint scanner and an ID card scanner that is biometrically linked to the ID card system, which is managed by the IDDEEA. The equipment is designed to help election commissions optimize their voter management processes and make the process easier to handle for election board members.
The second device also refers to the scanning of ballots and implies a quick transfer from the polling station to the main server of the CEC BiH. This device scans and counts the ballots, which minimizes the possibility to make a human error and shortens the time to count votes (votes are counted within a few hours instead several days).
This device informs the voter that the ballot is invalid and that, if it is invalid, he/she is permitted to take another ballot and vote again in order to reduce the number of invalid ballots. – explained Mr. Ermin Kos, Head of the Elections Department at the CEC BiH.
He also points out that, after the polling stations are closed, the results are automatically transferred from the polling station, if an online connection is established, and if not, the device is transferred to the municipal election commission from where the results are transferred.
What is needed for the implementation of an electronic voting system, which would strengthen the integrity of the electoral process, are amendments to the BiH Election Law at the state level, which would enable the introduction of new technologies.
The CEC BiH states that according to the 14 priorities of the European Commission, a key to solve the problem is reform of electoral law, but also in the CEC BiH they said that it is not the CEC’s responsibility for them not to be used in BiH’s polling stations.
We can only influence on raising of awareness but we are not decision makers. The key decision must be made by the Parliament of BiH and Parliament of BiH should transfer information to the CEC BiH as to in which direction to continue the process. – said Mr. Suad Arnautović, President of the CEC BiH.
According to the CEC BiH, changes to the electoral legislation should have already been adopted in order to be used in the local elections to be held next year.
