Arnis Cimdars, chairman of Latvia’s Central Electoral Commission (CVK) claimed Wednesday that electronic voting was not secure enough to allow it to be used in Latvian elections – despite the fact that neighboring Estonia has used e-voting successfully since 2005. “There it happens. They accept it,” Cimdars said, noting different mindsets in the two countries. Speaking on LTV’s Rita Panorama morning news show, Cimdars said he thought e-voting would happen “sooner or later” but that debates about its introduction would continue for the foreseeable future. “According to our experts, it is not possible for us with current technology. We have some mental reservations about this method of voting, too… at the moment it is not possible to ensure the anonymity and security of this method of voting, so I don’t think it will happen very soon,” he added.
According to Cimdars, Latvian voters only feel secure if they physically place their paper into a ballot box. e-voting would be open to vote-buying, voting on behalf of others and numerous other democratic dangers, he maintained.
His words run counter to the view of his Estonian counterparts at the Estonian National Electoral Committee, which says online voting is in fact more secure than paper voting.
Full Article: LSM / No e-voting for Latvia any time soon / Eng.lsm.lv.
