Over half of Poles would like to vote via the internet, according to a CBOS analysis. Today, some countries around the world use electronic voting, and many others are considering implementing such a solution. A global leader in this field is Estonia, where e-voting has been operational since 2005. In Poland, the idea surfaced after the 2023 elections. However, while there is a societal will to digitalize the voting process, the political will is still lacking. It is also unclear which platform could serve as a secure electronic ballot box.
“Poland is not yet fully ready for e-voting. Poles would like to vote through the internet, but, nonetheless, there is a lack of legislation, a secure voting system that guarantees, for example, the confidentiality of the vote. Thirdly, although there are projects that propose the introduction of electronic voting, possibly not through the internet but through other tools, the political will to implement these projects is still insufficient,” says Prof. Dr. Magdalena Musiał-Karg from the Faculty of Political Science and Journalism at Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań, President of the Polish Political Science Association.
Data from 2023 by the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (International IDEA) shows that electronic voting is used in 19% of the countries analyzed (178 countries were included in the analysis). In 15%, feasibility studies or tests have been conducted or are underway. Poland has no experience with e-voting.
“To introduce such a system, long-term tests and pilots of this type of activity would need to be conducted, definitely not on the scale of the entire country, but on a smaller scale, such as at the municipal level. We do not have such a system, even though the technologies are probably available. There were ideas for platforms like ePUAP, mCitizen or other systems to be those through which voting could be conducted. Components that guarantee voting secrecy, vote security, and the certainty that a voter’s ballot has been properly cast and counted would need to be implemented in them,” assesses Prof. Musiał-Karg.
In 11 countries, electronic voting was discontinued, mainly due to security concerns. This accounts for 6% of all countries studied.
“Regarding the confidentiality of voting in the case of internet voting, concerns are primarily about whether votes cast electronically or online could be decoded over time to reveal how individuals voted. That’s why, for example, Estonia uses a system called the double envelope, where votes are first collected, anonymized, and then divided into individual voting methods,” explains the President of the Polish Political Science Association.
From a technical perspective, half of the countries using electronic voting employ direct recording electronic machines. Fourteen (41%) countries use internet voting—in some of these, it is only possible for voters within the country (or for a specific group of voters), but some also allow voting from abroad.
“From a societal perspective, such a system could soon start functioning in our country because citizens would like to have easier, faster, more convenient ways to vote. From the perspective of law, technology, and politics, I think it will still take a considerable amount of time before such a solution is introduced in Poland,” predicts Prof. Musiał-Karg.
According to a study conducted by the Center for Public Opinion Research, 53% of Poles support the possibility of participating in elections via the internet, while 39% express opposition. The implementation of e-voting is supported by six out of ten internet users and a significantly smaller percentage of those who do not use the internet. Opposition is relatively common among respondents over the age of 54, those with basic vocational education, among farmers, and those earning the lowest incomes.
