Internet Voting in Estonia

Pilot projects in the area of remote Internet voting have been carried out in several countries. However, legally binding Internet-cast voting is valid in few countries, Estonia being the first country to introduce it at national level. A good communications infrastructure, voters’ high e-readiness, the widespread use of the national e-ID card, which enables secure authentication of on-line voters, and its relatively small population of 1.3 million are the key factors for the success of I-voting in Estonia. This case-study provides a detailed description of the Estonian remote I-voting system, the motivation behind implementing such a system, a short analysis of the experience and problems emerged as well as about future prospects.