Regarding the local elections, but also, very soon, the votes in Sport Lisboa e Benfica and the presidential elections, some observers have defended the widespread adoption of electronic voting. In their defense, they point to aspects such as convenience and greater accessibility.
The call for the adoption of electronic voting, it should be noted, appears cyclically. In the past we have already had proposals for it to be adopted, with the aim of increasing participation and allowing certain categories of voters, namely emigrants, not to be deprived of their right to vote.
In theory, increasing participation and making voting easier are virtuous goals.
In defense of electronic voting, some observers claim that some professional orders already adopt this electoral procedure. In fact, without major problems, they add, the Portuguese carry out all types of transactions on the internet, including banking ones, without structural reliability problems.
But is it really so?
The first key issue that must be ensured is that the results of the elections are reliable. Nothing is more disastrous than losing candidates, and their supporters, distrusting the reliability of the results obtained.
Now, despite all the promises offered by electronic voting, for now miraculous, it is ballot boxes and paper, despite a certain archaic air, that offer greater reliability and security.
Let’s be very clear. According to scientific consensus, there is no electronic voting system that is secure. This can be hacked on a large scale and be undetectable long enough for a ‘winning’ candidate to be announced and take office.
Even with mixed systems, with in-person electronic voting in places designated for that purpose, distrust does not abate. See the doubt that Jair Bolsonaro raised about his non-election and how millions of Brazilians believed, and some still believe, that Lula da Silva’s victory was fraudulent.
On the other hand, electronic voting is not comparable to the act of transferring money or paying bills, via app or internet banking. In case of fraud, the bank account holder detects it.
The secrecy associated with each electronic vote makes it impossible for voters to be able to track their private vote. There is nothing similar to a bank statement to see account balances and movements.
For all these reasons, with the exception of Estonia, no mature democracy uses electronic voting.
In an era of extremism, where groups fight each other in an uncivilized way, we must place all emphasis on reliability and transparency, thereby removing as much as possible the opportunities for the integrity of elections to be called into question.
In the current state of scientific knowledge, this means that nothing replaces the old technology of paper voting, filled in by the voter and capable of being counted (or recounted) by hand.
Yes. I want to continue to have confidence that the president of my municipality, of Benfica or of Portugal, are in fact the winners of the election by popular will and not by the effect of any computer hacker.
We do not need to intensify hatred and sow mistrust, unnecessarily.
President of SNQTB
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