Interview: How e-voting works in Estonia

Andrew Whyte, ERR

Estonia held two elections in 2019, with the general election on March 3, and the European elections following on May 26. In both cases, voters had a range of options on how and when to vote. The most celebrated of these is undoubtedly e-voting, which is open in advance of polling day itself (in the case of the European elections, from May 16 to 22).

Professor Robert Krimmer of the Ragnar Nurkse Department of Innovation and Governance, at Tallinn University of Technology, now known internationally as Taltech, was able to provide an overview both for here, in Estonia, and internationally.

Is it true you can cancel your e-vote at a polling station at any time during the electoral process, and second, should we refer to electronic voting as e-voting, or i-voting, as it is sometimes called.

“Either is fine, but it depends on the context,” Robert says.

“e-voting essentially just means there is a form of IT, and an election, and that’s it. It’s a generic term which can be used internationally.”

Ironing out a common misconception

Can you cast an e-vote, in Estonia, and later override it at the polling station?

“Yes you can, but not always. There is a large array of options for voting, including on board ship or at a foreign mission, followed by the advance voting period proper, which allows people to vote online and at polling stations, including both county centers, and at shopping malls and other places with a high through-flow of people. If you vote online during this advance period, you can then go to a polling station and override that vote while the advance period lasts, but you can’t do it on the election day.”

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