The COVID-19 pandemic has increased interest in and demand for moving services online, including voting. In the context of elections, the introduction of new technologies presents both new opportunities and enormous risks.

A new paper from the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES) aims to assist election stakeholders in determining whether internet voting would improve electoral integrity and active democracy or instead undermine public trust and compromise the security of the electoral process. Considerations on Internet Voting: An Overview for Electoral Decision-Makers provides a review of case studies and existing literature on internet voting to help decision-makers ask the right questions when considering remote, online voting. This paper highlights the important lessons learned by countries that have piloted or implemented internet voting, with varying levels of success.

IFES recommends that internet voting be evaluated according to five parameters: cost, participation, efficiency, trust and security. Due to the high levels of planning, preparation and testing needed, it is unlikely that countries that do not already have the requisite systems in place would be able – or should even attempt – to launch internet voting as an immediate response to a crisis like COVID-19.

In Ukraine, IFES is committed to working closely with election management, legislators and government representatives to contribute to conversations on election technology, including internet voting. IFES hopes this global research will serve as a caution to the hasty implementation of internet voting in Ukraine, particularly in light of the experiences of other countries who have moved away from internet voting due to concerns over trust and security.

Learn more about IFES’ work on electoral technology and follow #COVIDxDemocracy for new analysis and innovative solutions during this time of uncertainty.

Find out more from COVID-19: A Survival Guide for Democracies.