Electronic referendum

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An electronic referendum (or e-referendum) is a referendum in which voting is aided by electronic means. E-referendum employs information and communication technology such as the Internet (e-voting) or digital telephones rather than a classical ballot box or traditional methods system. [1] Traditionally, e-referendums are organised by governmental bodies, but nowadays, there exist private companies that can facilitate online referendums or other types of e-voting. [2]

Contents

An electronic referendum provides a less time-consuming option of casting a vote for citizens; it can also be performed without attending an official voting place. [1] It has also been assumed to lead to a higher voter turnout and an increase in the citizens’ political engagement; however, this is not always the case. E-referendum made the referendum voting more accessible to those living abroad and to disabled people. [1]

History

The Italian seaside town Ladispoli held three e-referendums in 2004 regarding the protection of archaeological sites, participatory budgeting, and the involvement of immigrants in political life. It was part of "E-poll": a European Union project dedicated to the experimentation of electronic voting. This project also took place in the other four Italian cities: Avellino, Campobasso, Specchia, and Cremona. In the case of Ladispoli, the vote was open to all citizens and immigrants. [3]

Lately, in 2005, e-referendum was also experimented in Tallinn, the Estonian capital city. In the same year, Spain and France experienced the e-referendum, adopting the remote i-Voting and special tools, respectively.

In practice

Switzerland

Following the European experience with e-referendum. Switzerland developed different electronic voting systems, such as the Geneva E-voting System or the Zurich E-voting System. Switzerland could enable referendums via the Internet at local or federal levels. [1]

Ireland

During the 2002 referendum on the Treaty of Nice, Ireland used electronic voting machines in seven constituencies on a trial basis.

In 2004, the government abandoned its plans to introduce a nationwide electronic system after a report from the Independent Commission on Electronic Voting and Counting raised concerns about the machines' reliability and the ballot's integrity. E-voting was scrapped in 2009 when further reports confirmed issues over the reliability of the process and the difficulty of storage of the voting machines because of high costs. [4]

Canada

The Canadian Citizens Party has propositions about referendum protocols. Canadians can establish an account and post policy recommendations on a platform. Other individuals can sign petitions linked to the recommendations through an electronic signature. [5]

Related Research Articles

Politics in Estonia takes place in a framework of a parliamentary representative democratic republic, whereby the Prime Minister of Estonia is the head of government, and of a multi-party system. Legislative power is vested in the Estonian parliament. Executive power is exercised by the government, which is led by the prime minister. The judiciary is independent of the executive and the legislature. Estonia is a member of the United Nations, the European Union, and NATO.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Referendum</span> Direct vote on a specific proposal

A referendum is a direct vote by the electorate on a proposal, law, or political issue. This is in contrast to an issue being voted on by a representative. This may result in the adoption of a new policy or specific law, or the referendum may be only advisory. In some countries, it is synonymous with and also known as plebiscite, votation, popular consultation, ballot question, ballot measure, or proposition.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Direct democracy</span> Form of democracy

Direct democracy or pure democracy is a form of democracy in which the electorate decides on policy initiatives without elected representatives as proxies. This differs from the majority of currently established democracies, which are representative democracies. The theory and practice of direct democracy and participation as its common characteristic was the core of work of many theorists, philosophers, politicians, and social critics, among whom the most important are Jean Jacques Rousseau, John Stuart Mill, and G.D.H. Cole.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Voting</span> Method to make collective decisions

Voting is a method by which a group, such as a meeting or an electorate, convenes together for the purpose of making a collective decision or expressing an opinion usually following discussions, debates or election campaigns. Democracies elect holders of high office by voting. Residents of a jurisdiction represented by an elected official are called "constituents", and the constituents who choose to cast a ballot for their chosen candidate are called "voters." There are different systems for collecting votes, but while many of the systems used in decision-making can also be used as electoral systems, any which cater to proportional representation can only be used in elections.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Popular initiative</span> Popular voter petition systems

A popular initiative is a form of direct democracy by which a petition meeting certain hurdles can force a legal procedure on a proposition.

Electronic voting is voting that uses electronic means to either aid or take care of casting and counting ballots including voting time.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Voter turnout</span> Percentage of a countrys eligible voters who actually vote within elections

In political science, voter turnout is the participation rate of a given election. This is typically either the percentage of registered voters, eligible voters, or all voting-age people. According to Stanford University political scientists Adam Bonica and Michael McFaul, there is a consensus among political scientists that "democracies perform better when more people vote."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">E-democracy</span> Use of information and communication technology in political and governance processes

E-democracy, also known as digital democracy or Internet democracy, uses information and communication technology (ICT) in political and governance processes. The term is credited to digital activist Steven Clift. By using 21st-century ICT, e-democracy seeks to enhance democracy, including aspects like civic technology and E-government. Proponents argue that by promoting transparency in decision-making processes, e-democracy can empower all citizens to observe and understand the proceedings. Also, if they possess overlooked data, perspectives, or opinions, they can contribute meaningfully. This contribution extends beyond mere informal disconnected debate; it facilitates citizen engagement in the proposal, development, and actual creation of a country's laws. In this way, e-democracy has the potential to incorporate crowdsourced analysis more directly into the policy-making process.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elections in France</span>

France is a unitary semi-presidential republic with a bicameral legislature. Public officials in the legislative and executive branches are either elected by the citizens or appointed by elected officials. Referenda may also be called to consult the French citizenry directly on a particular question, especially one which concerns amendment to the Constitution.

Electronic voting machines for elections in Ireland were used on a trial basis in 2002, but plans to extend it to all polling stations were put on hold in 2004 after public opposition and political controversy. Electoral law was amended in 2001 and 2004 and sufficient voting machines for the entire state were purchased, but the plan was officially dropped in 2009 and the machines were subsequently scrapped. Elections continue to use paper ballots completed in pencil.

An absentee ballot is a vote cast by someone who is unable or unwilling to attend the official polling station to which the voter is normally allocated. Methods include voting at a different location, postal voting, proxy voting and online voting. Increasing the ease of access to absentee ballots is seen by many as one way to improve voter turnout through convenience voting, though some countries require that a valid reason, such as infirmity or travel, be given before a voter can participate in an absentee ballot. Early voting overlaps with absentee voting. Early voting includes votes cast before the official election day(s), by mail, online or in-person at voting centers which are open for the purpose. Some places call early in-person voting a form of "absentee" voting, since voters are absent from the polling place on election day.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Postal voting</span> Voting, election, ballot papers, distributed to electors or returned by post, mail

Postal voting is voting in an election where ballot papers are distributed to electors by post, in contrast to electors voting in person at a polling station or electronically via an electronic voting system.

Voting in Switzerland is the process by which Swiss citizens make decisions about governance and elect officials. The history of voting rights in Switzerland mirrors the complexity of the nation itself. The polling stations are opened on Saturdays and Sunday mornings but most people vote by post in advance. At noon on Sunday, voting ends and the results are usually known during the afternoon.

Electronic participation (e-participation) refers to the use of ICT in facilitating citizen participation in government-related processes, encompassing areas such as administration, service delivery, decision-making, and policy-making. As such, e-participation shares close ties with e-government and e-governance participation. The term's emergence aligns with the digitization of citizen interests and interactions with political service providers, primarily due to the proliferation of e-government.

Electronic voting in Estonia gained popularity in 2001 with the "e-minded" coalition government. In 2005, it became the first nation to hold legally binding general elections over the Internet with their pilot project for municipal elections. Estonian election officials declared the electronic voting system a success and found that it withstood the test of real-world use.

Electronic voting by country varies and may include voting machines in polling places, centralized tallying of paper ballots, and internet voting. Many countries use centralized tallying. Some also use electronic voting machines in polling places. Nigeria in 2023 general election used electronic voting machine in polling stations. Very few use internet voting. Several countries have tried electronic approaches and stopped because of difficulties or concerns about security and reliability.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elections in the United Kingdom</span>

There are five types of elections in the United Kingdom: elections to the House of Commons of the United Kingdom, elections to devolved parliaments and assemblies, local elections, mayoral elections, and police and crime commissioner elections. Within each of those categories, there may also be by-elections. Elections are held on Election Day, which is conventionally a Thursday, and under the provisions of the Dissolution and Calling of Parliament Act 2022 the timing of general elections can be held at the discretion of the prime minister during any five-year period. All other types of elections are held after fixed periods, though early elections to the devolved assemblies and parliaments can occur in certain situations. The five electoral systems used are: the single member plurality system (first-past-the-post), the multi-member plurality, the single transferable vote, the additional member system, and the supplementary vote.

A referendum is a direct vote in which an entire electorate is asked to either accept or reject a particular proposal. This article summarises referendum laws and practice in various countries.

Electronic voting in Switzerland started in 2003 in the canton of Geneva, where the residents of Anières cast their vote using the Internet. This was the first trial of e-voting in Switzerland. In the following years, the number of people able to use electronic voting grew as more and more cantons began adopting such a system.

Federal referendums were held in Switzerland on 7 March, 13 June, 26 September, and 28 November 2021. Swiss referendums take three forms: popular initiatives, which are citizen proposals to create a new law and require 100,000 valid signatures on a petition to get on the ballot; facultative or optional referendums, which are citizen proposals to approve or reject a piece of existing law and require 50,000 valid signatures on a petition to get on the ballot; and mandatory referendums, which are required to revise the constitution, join an international organisation or introduce emergency federal legislation for over a year.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Musiał-Karg, Magdalena (2012). "Is Electronic Voting a Panacea for Low Election Turnout?: Examples of Estonian e-Elections and Swiss e-Referendums" (PDF). Polish Political Science. 41.
  2. "Electronic Referendum Platform". Far Rainbow. Retrieved February 16, 2021.
  3. "Ministero Dell'Interno - Notizie". www1.interno.gov.it. Retrieved February 19, 2021.
  4. Duncan, Pamela. "E-voting machines to be scrapped". The Irish Times. Retrieved February 18, 2021.
  5. "Making policy by e-referendum". Inroads. November 29, 2012. Retrieved February 18, 2021.