Swiss elections advanced development of Internet voting, additional measures needed to enhance transparency and accountability of process

The establishment of independent certification of authorized Internet voting systems and the use of existing open standards are among the recommendations contained in a final report by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) on the 18 October 2015 federal assembly elections in Switzerland.

While the report, published on 16 February 2016, noted that Internet voting enjoys a high level of confidence and was administered professionally and in line with a newly-detailed legal framework, it recommends that additional measures be taken to enhance the transparency and accountability of the process. It also recommends that all documents and reports related to certification and audits be made publicly available.

The report notes that the legal framework, significantly amended ahead of the elections, provides a sound basis for Internet voting. The amendments addressed many previous ODIHR recommendations. It points out, however, that electoral legislation should be amended to explicitly allow for international and citizen election observers at all stages of the electoral process, as raised in previous ODIHR recommendations.

The report recommends that the Federal Chancellery provides and publishes more detailed information on decisions related to the authorization of Internet voting pilot programmes. It also recommends that voter information efforts be increased, including by allowing voters the opportunity to familiarize themselves with Internet voting systems outside of an election.