CEC: The Internet voting process in the Republic of Moldova will be alternative and not mandatory
Voting by Internet in the Republic of Moldova will be alternative and not compulsory, so the presence of citizens at the polls remains essential, says Central Electoral Commission Secretary Alexandru Berlinschi. Speaking at a public debate attended by experts from Estonia, he defended his position.
More details were presented during the event, which are contained in the draft specifications for the implementation of the e-Voting Information System. According to Alexandru Berlinschi, the benefits of e-voting are obvious and he was convinced that such a system could increase the number of voters in Moldova in future elections.
"If implemented, it would be an alternative method. It remains the traditional method, voting at the polling station does not replace it. We are planning the voting process to take place over three days - from Monday to Wednesday, in the week before the elections. Voters can vote online more than once, with only the last vote being counted and validated. If the voter has voted via the Internet and goes to the polling station to cast his/her vote on paper, then the Internet vote will be cancelled. Internet voting is fast, accurate and relies on up-to-date digital electoral rolls. This saves a lot of time and resources. We believe it will increase voter turnout," Berlinschi said.
Gheorghe Pantaz, director of the Information Technology Service, said that the use of electronic voting excludes the possibility of being bought, and cryptographic algorithms prevent intervention and modification of the vote cast by a citizen. The architecture of the system will include all the necessary components to ensure the secrecy and integrity of the vote, he said.
"We are ready to provide all support, to ensure the level of cyber security, so that any less noble intentions from outside the country, from inside the country, will be blocked, thwarted and minimized. The system is to operate both on the CEC's ICT infrastructure and through the government infrastructure to provide a sufficient firewall to protect and intervene when there is a malicious or other attack. The rest of the components related to ensuring the cryptographic element, I mean the encryption of the vote, the shuffling of votes to ensure the secrecy of the vote, is very well thought out," said Gheorghe Pantaz.
The initiative to implement e-voting in Moldova was launched in 2008, through a law adopted by Parliament, which established the concept of digitisation of the electoral process. The project was supposed to be implemented since 2016. According to the responsible authorities, online voting would facilitate the participation of citizens in the electoral process in the country, as well as the diaspora, and would solve the problem of the limited number of polling stations open abroad.
