As new information and communication technologies are increasingly being used in daily life, member states need to take account of these developments in their democratic practice. Launching e-voting in the European Union would be a signal that the EU is a leader in the use of new technologies in democracy.

E-voting would be an appropriate response to the increasing mobility and flexibility of today’s society. International examples show that electorate makes extensive use of e-voting.  Especially among the young generation, the implementation of e-voting could lead to a higher participation rate in elections.

In times of an increasing disenchantment with politics and skepticism about the EU, every possible effort has to be made to encourage European citizens to make use of their voting rights in the EP elections. As an example, e-voting has already been launched in Estonia as well as in Switzerland. In the latest Swiss election, already 24% percent of the voters made use of making their vote electronically.

Questioning of e-voting is understandable and also welcomed, as free and secret elections are the most crucial elements of democracy in Europe. Therefore it is of high importance to critically examine the system of e-voting for weaknesses in order to prevent potential abuse.

Criticism, however, must be well founded. Pure technophobia cannot be the reason for preventing the launch of e-voting. It is highly important to ensure that elections carried out electronically are at least as secure and reliable as conventional elections. Once that it is assured, e-voting will be an important means of increasing participation in EU elections.