At present, prospects have significantly improved that several information technology (IT) systems will be used in the parliamentary elections scheduled for autumn in Latvia, including an electronic voter register, said Māris Zviedris, Chairman of the Central Election Commission of Latvia (CVK), in an interview on LTV’s Morning Panorama.
Zviedris noted that the CVK trusts the three state-selected capital companies expected to deliver the election IT systems. However, until the work is completed, it cannot be claimed that everything is 100% secure. The commission remains prepared for various election scenarios.
According to the CVK chairman, the positive news is that “we have moved away from the possibility of not having an electronic voter register,” which will allow voters to cast their ballots at any polling station. Among the IT systems not directly visible to voters, electronic election process logs and vote-counting protocols will be used, making the work of election organizers easier.
Votes will be counted manually, and election results are expected the following day. It is clear that scanning systems will not be used for vote aggregation this time, though this does not mean the technology will be abandoned in future elections, Zviedris emphasized.
As previously reported, the Cabinet of Ministers of Latvia decided at the end of April during a crisis management meeting to assign the development of election systems to state-owned or partially state-owned companies: Latvijas mobilais telefons (LMT), Tet, and Latvijas valsts meži (LVM).
The Ministry of Environmental Protection and Regional Development (VARAM) has terminated its contract
with the election platform developer RIX Technologies and instead proposed assigning system development to LMT, Tet, and LVM. As VARAM emphasized to the LETA news agency, these companies were chosen due to state involvement in their governance and their experience in implementing major IT infrastructure projects both in Latvia and abroad. They employ highly qualified specialists, including those with relevant security certifications critical for election system development.
It is planned that LMT will develop improvements to the election information system within the election platform. According to VARAM, these enhancements will facilitate the work of polling stations, including improving result aggregation and thereby shortening the time needed to compile and publish results.
Meanwhile, Tet will be involved in developing necessary adjustments to the election platform modules and ensuring audits of the platform. LVM will develop additional functionalities for the electronic online voter register module and maintain the online voter register, enabling voters to vote at any polling station.
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