The first version of the Focus On E-Voting dates from 2004. Since then information and communication technology has developed rapidly, several countries that were considering introducing e-voting in 2004 have abandoned it while other countries have gained several years of experience with e-voting. It is safe to say that the Focus On as it was written in 2004 was to a large extent outdated by 2014. Although some of the basic requirements have not changed, many aspects have evolved since 2004. Especially one thing has become very clear: while back in 2004 many thought that the use of ICT in elections and referendums mainly meant “replacing” some steps that have so far been carried out on paper by electronic measures, ten years later it is obvious that the introduction of electronic means in most cases is accompanied by a change of “culture” in the electoral management as well as a change of the way the voter perceives the electoral process. E-voting goes along with very specific challenges and specific solutions that have to be dealt with from an independent perspective. The updated Focus On E-voting was written with this in mind. Reflecting the general trend of how the term “e-voting” is used in articles on the Internet and discussions during conferences, the definition of e-voting in the updated Focus On was enlarged. The 2004-Focus On concentrated on the use of electronic means in the vote-casting process and explicitly excluded the vote counting process. The updated Focus On includes the use of electronic means in the steps of casting, counting and/or recording of the vote.
The 2014 Focus on e-voting was produced by Nadja Braun Binder, Research Fellow at the German Research Institute for Public Administration Speyer, in cooperation with Ardita Driza Maurer (legal consultant in political rights, citizen participation and new voting technologies, based in Switzerland), Robert Krimmer (Professor of Electronic Governance at Tallinn University of Technology), Uwe Serdült (vice-director of the Centre for Research on Direct Democracy, c2d), Priit Vinkel (Head of Elections Department, Chancellery of the Riigikogu, Estonia).
Dr. iur. Nadja Braun Binder, MBA, worked for the Swiss Federal Chancellery from 2001-2011: First, as a legal adviser in the Section of Political Rights (the Swiss electoral management body on the national level) and project manager of the Swiss e-voting project and then as head of the Legal Section. Since 2011 she works as a Research Fellow at the German Research Institute for Public Administration Speyer. Her research interests include e-government and e-voting from a legal as well as from an administrative science point of view.
The 2004-Focus on e-voting was produced by the very same author (at that time Nadja Braun was on secondment to International IDEA from the Swiss Federal Chancellery) in cooperation with Maria Helena Alves (Independent Consultant of the ACE-Project), Jeff Brady (IFES), Kristina Lemon (Senior Administrative Officer at the Swedish Election Authority), Anna Kessling (Analyst at the Swedish Ministry of Justice) and Robert Krimmer (Research Group E-Voting.cc of the Vienna University of Economics and Business Administration).
