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e-Voting.at conducts first online election in Austria

22/05/2011

The research group e-Voting.at led by Prof. Prosser tests absentee voting using the Internet.

In a test election parallel to the Student Union election at the WU Vienna in May 2003 the possibility to cast votes electronically (e-voting) will be available for the first time in Austria. A prototype developed at the WU Vienna by Prof. Prosser and his research group e-Voting.at is used that has been funded by the Anniversary Fund of the City of Vienna.

This system implements an absentee voting procedure and is based on the Austrian National ID Card ("Bürgerkarte"): Before Election Day the voter applies for the issuing of an electronic voting token, that is saved on the National ID Card. On Election Day only this electronic voting token is supplied by the voter to prove his right to cast a vote. Special cryptographic methods ensure strict voter anonymity and the non-repudiability of the results.

As signature smart cards and National ID Cards, resp. are not available in large numbers, the test election will use an arbitrary storage medium. The test election is restricted to students of IT-oriented majors (over 1000 eligible voters), the application of the electronic voting token, as well as the vote casting itself take place remotely over the Internet.

Prof. Prosser comments on that: "The test election is not only the first use of such a new technology , but it will also enable us to draw conclusions on the acceptance of such systems in general. If in the future, appropriate National ID Cards are available, it will be possible to offer electronic voting for the real election electronically during the 2005 Student Union elections with this system in full compliance with the constitutional rules for elections."

Fact Box

Procedure of the first online election in Austria

Test election:
parallel to the student union election in May 2003

Sample:
1000 WU students with IT-majors - all voters eligible to vote will be contacted individually

Method:
Analoguous to absentee mail voting: (i) Application of an electronic voting token and (ii) online vote casting

  1. May 1st 00.00 till May 19th 24.00 Application for the electronic voting token, then

  2. May 20th 09.00 till May 22th 15.00 online voting.

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Original publishing date: 26.3.2003 (was imported from the old evoting.at site)

 

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