The current presidential election will not be the last in which Slovaks living abroad are not able to exercise their right to vote. While allowing people to vote via online could remedy the problem, Interior Minister Robert Kaliňák shot down that option on March 23, citing high costs and security risks. Lawmakers are set to discuss a new election law at the next parliamentary session, but electronic voting is not part of the bill “There are a number of risks and drawbacks,” the TASR newswire quoted Kaliňák as saying. “Even states far more advanced [than Slovakia] such as Germany or Belgium, even our neighbours in Austria, aren’t entertaining the idea of e-voting for the time being.”
Since 2006, Slovaks living abroad can participate in parliamentary elections via mail-in ballots. A petition advocating internet voting was started in January by a civil initiative of Slovak compatriots living abroad. The organisation intends to collect at least 50,000 signatures in 12 months and deliver them to parliament. The petition also aims to expand the range of elections in which Slovaks living abroad can participate, TASR wrote.
Source: Internet voting expensive, risky, says interior minister – The Slovak Spectator.
