The Canton of Basel-Stadt Selects Scytl Technology for Secure and Verifiable Online Voting

Barcelona, February 28, 2017 –  Basel-Stadt is set to become the third Swiss canton to select Scytl´s online voting solution for secure and verifiable overseas voting. The solution addresses all the unique online voting requirements of the Swiss voting system and will allow 50% of its overseas citizens to cast their vote online for federal and cantonal elections and referendums.

The solution co-developed between Scytl and Swiss Post was first deployed for a federal vote and cantonal elections in November 2016 in the Canton of Fribourg and was again used for the federal vote that took place in Neuchâtel in mid-February 2017. Scytl´s online voting technology was first deployed in 2004 in Neuchâtel, and has been used successfully for over 12 years for both binding elections and referendums. The continued security and verifiability evolution of Scytl´s technology has guaranteed full compliance with the Swiss Federal security standards. In addition, the ongoing usability and accessibility updates have ensured a growth of online channel participation of +230% for elections and +420% for referendums.

“The online solution co-developed between Scytl and Swiss Post continues to make strides in ensuring a larger part of Swiss citizens benefit from the advantages that online voting provides. We are thrilled to welcome Basel-Stadt to the family of cantons deploying the industry’s most secure and verifiable online voting technology,” says Pere Vallés, CEO at Scytl.

The online voting solution to be deployed in Basel-Stadt represents a significant leap forward in security standards and verifiability protocols versus the solution the canton used in the past:

  • The system delivers full privacy and vote integrity by ensuring the vote is encrypted and digitally signed on the voter’s device and remains so until the tally process, guaranteeing that votes cannot be “read” or “opened” until the ballot box is opened by the electoral commission.
  • In addition, the platform provides voting and election integrity proofs and individual verifiability protocols that allow voters to check for themselves that the encrypted votes received by the voting system contain their vote intention without decrypting the vote and guaranteeing full voter privacy.

By March 2018, up to 50% of the Basel voting public will be able to vote online, expanding seamlessly to allow 100% of the voting public to leverage online voting by 2019.

 

About Scytl

Scytl is the global leader in secure online voting and election modernization solutions. Scytl has capitalized on its more than 20 years of research to develop election-specific cryptographic technology that offers maximum security and is protected by more than 40 international patents. Over the last 10 years, Scytl’s electronic voting and election modernization solutions have been successfully used in over 47 countries across the globe, including Canada, the United States, France, Norway, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, the UAE, South Africa, India, and Australia. Scytl is headquartered in Barcelona, Spain, with offices in over 20 countries. For more information, visit www.scytl.com.

 

Media Contacts

Leticia Barcia

Vice President of Marketing, Scytl

leticia.barcia@scytlcom.wpcomstaging.com

+34 934 230 324