The Central Election Commission considers electronic and postal voting to be too risky
15 February 07:15
YOUTUBE
The Central Election Commission believes that after the war, the main priority should be trust in the election results, rather than the introduction of new technological voting formats. That is why electronic, postal, or multi-day voting is currently in question.
This was stated in an interview with the YouTube channel
“Electronic voting is quite a painstaking task. You see, it is necessary to ensure the secrecy of voting, it is necessary to ensure the transfer of data, and it is necessary to ensure control. And disclosure,” says Dubovyk.
According to him, the key issue is guaranteeing the secrecy of the vote while also allowing the results to be verified without the risk of outside interference. Dubovyk cited the example of banking transactions, which are often used as an example by supporters of digital voting, but emphasized the fundamental difference between financial transactions and elections.
“If someone can verify your transaction, then someone can also verify it in an election,” he added.
The official also drew attention to the risks of cyberattacks, possible manipulation using VPNs, and the threat of discrediting the results in the event of technical failures on election day.
Separately, the CEC studied the possibility of postal voting and voting over several days, but these formats also raise significant concerns.
“The main thing for us is trust in the post-war elections. Let these be outdated forms, but everyone understands how to control them, at what time the preliminary data will be published, how to appeal everything you disagree with,” he said.
According to Dubovyk, multi-day voting was already used in Ukraine in the 1990s, but this practice was abandoned due to the risks of abuse and the use of administrative resources. In turn, postal voting could create a situation where a significant number of ballots remain uncounted after the preliminary results are announced, which could potentially provoke political tension.
The CEC is convinced that the mechanisms for conducting nationwide elections should remain the same as before the war. Instead, any innovations are only possible after thorough testing.
“Testing: only after detailed study can such mechanisms be introduced at the national level,” he concluded.
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