TALLINN - The eyes of the world turned to Estonia on Feb. 28 as the nation took its e-voting experiment to a new level. In what was hailed as the world's first full-scale internet election, a total of 30,243 voters chose to log their votes online. Authorities had expected around 20,000 people to use the system.
More than 70 foreign observers were in Estonia to see the e-voting system in operation.
"The interest from international press was overwhelming," said Heiki Sibul, head of the National Electoral Committee.
"All over the world people are interested in this system. We had visiting experts who are preparing their state for this kind of e-voting. We have created our system, and now we are open to sharing our experience."
Voters were able to log on to the system between Feb. 26 and Feb. 28, several days before the actual election date.
Using e-voting, citizens were able to change their vote until the deadline, something that almost 1000 people chose to do. A further 23 people invalidated their e-vote by also showing up to a physical polling booth to lodge a paper ballot.
International observers from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe claimed they were satisfied with the security of the system.
In order to vote, citizens had to hold a national identification card and have an electronic card reader attached to their computer. Sibul conceded that only a small number of people own a card reader.
"The card reader might be a problem. We have them in libraries, workplaces and even some banks, but not many people own them. We must work to make them more widely available," he said.
However, the e-election did prompt 12,000 people to use their ID card electronically for the first time. While the cards can be used to buy public transport tickets, conduct online banking and sign documents electronically, most holders simply use them as an identification document.
Tarvi Martens, head of Sertifitseerimiskeskus, the private company charged with administering Estonia's ID card system, said widening the scope of the cards would encourage more people to vote online.
"The need for a card reader is a barrier, but if the user overcomes this barrier once, they will start to love using their card for all sorts of purposes," Martens said.
