Online voting is on the rise, but the integrity of the process isn’t keeping pace.
Without proper safeguards, online voting introduces serious risks such as ballot tampering, voter coercion, and compromising voters’ privacy.
While it is possible to design a system that is tamper-resistant, no system is 100% tamper-proof, and that's why verifiability, and the ability to see if tampering has taken pace, is so important.
When trust in election outcomes erodes, so too does the legitimacy of the institutions behind them. And high reputational risk is very, very bad for business.
To protect democratic processes in the digital era, end-to-end verifiable voting systems are emerging as the gold standard. The shift to digital voting offers clear benefits: accessibility, convenience, and scalability.
Despite the many advantages technology offers, there are risks too. Particularly the rise of opaque ‘black box’ systems that erode trust in the election process.
So, how can we introduce online voting in a way that meets the same democratic principles and standards we apply to paper-based systems?
That’s where the concept of end-to-end verifiability comes in.
What is end-to-end verifiability?
End-to-end verifiability ensures every phase of the voting process, from ballot casting to counting can be independently verified, without compromising voter privacy and anonymity.
End-to-end auditable systems enable visibility into how each vote is cast, recorded, and tabulated, while maintaining strict voter anonymity. They provide the cryptographic tools and public evidence necessary to verify that nothing has been altered or tampered with along the way.
For a voting system to qualify as fully end-to-end verifiable, it must allow voters to confirm that their votes have been:
Trust drives voter turnout. And high participation enhances the legitimacy of election results.
Institutions that adopt verifiable systems are investing in long-term democratic resilience and stakeholder confidence.
Transitioning to online voting doesn’t mean abandoning traditional methods overnight.
We saw what happened during COVID, which was a rush. Many vendors came out with opaque systems. Some were secure, some weren’t. That’s a risk we can’t afford again. Even today, there is no ISO-style international standard for online voting systems. However, several best practices have emerged:
Without universal standards, the market remains fragmented, and trust remains fragile.
Democracy thrives on transparency and trust. End-to-end verifiable online voting systems don’t just match traditional standards, they enhance them.
They offer:
“The digital future of voting is inevitable. But integrity can’t be optional, it must be built in from day one.” – Victor Hidalgo
This article is based on insights from a recent webinar with Victor Hidalgo, Global Solutions Manager, Lumi Global.
For a deeper dive into how end-to-end verifiable voting systems build trust and security in electronic elections, watch our on-demand webinar Securing Trust in Electronic Voting, where you can: