Electronic voting in Estonia has sparked an ongoing debate among experts. The system, introduced in 2005, has its share of challenges. Despite being hailed as a success by election officials, it has been plagued by persistent issues such as technical glitches, unexplained anomalies, and conflicts with the current constitution.
The system is based on the Estonian identity card, which needs to be more intelligent. This presents a significant problem, as verifying the voter’s identity is virtually impossible. Anyone with access to the card and its PIN can vote, and this type of violation is undetectable. A security breach in a general election could significantly affect the vote outcome.
Furthermore, the involvement of the Venezuelan company Smartmatic, which has been suspected of election fraud in several countries, has raised concerns. Additionally, a security analysis conducted in 2014 revealed significant operational security and procedures deficiencies, making the entire system vulnerable to attack and manipulation.
The system is still used today despite the recommendation to withdraw electronic voting due to potential problems. The organizers have not allowed independent experts to check the system thoroughly, and discrepancies have been noted between electronic votes, paper votes, and public opinion polls. Regrettably, concerns about these discrepancies have been disregarded by the election-conducting bodies.