Barcelona, May 6, 2019
- Over 60% of non-attendance voters cast their vote online during the 2019 New South Wales State Election through the iVote® system, showing a continuous adoption increase since 2011
- Almost 1 out of 2 voters used the verification App to check that their vote was cast as intended
In 2015, New South Wales set a new standard for internet voting as over 280,000 votes for the state election were cast online using the iVote® system. The 2019 NSW state election has reaffirmed this commitment to innovation, resulting in a staggering 63% of non-attendance voters casting their vote online. Backed by Scytl, the worldwide leader in secure online voting, the iVote® system continues to lead the way as the most accessible and advanced electronic voting solution.
Scytl’s robust technological support for the iVote® voting system ensured that voters in the 2019 NSW state election could exercise their democratic rights securely, privately, and independently. The implementation of the online voting solution greatly increased the accessibility of the voting process for remote voters, including those who are outside NSW during the election and those who live far from polling stations. Nearly two-thirds of voters who voted without attending a polling station opted to cast their vote online over traditional postal methods during this last election, an impressive increase from the 58% who chose to vote online during the 2015 election.
Moreover, iVote® recently received an award at the Zero Project Conference, an initiative from the Essl Foundation that advocates for the rights of persons with disabilities, held at the United Nations in Vienna. Scytl and the iVote® system were recognized for their capacity to help voters with visual impairments, physical disabilities, and literary needs vote without assistance, preserving voter privacy and vote confidentiality.
The cutting-edge security framework developed by Scytl for the iVote® voting system also ensures effective integrity and security through allowing voters to verify that their vote has been cast as they had intended. This safeguard is integral to the iVote® voting system as it detects malicious tampering attacks and reinforces voters’ trust in online voting. In this most recent election, nearly 1 out of every 2 voters verified the correct casting of their vote through the official election app, a significant increase from the 1.7% who verified their vote in 2015.
“We are extremely proud of supporting the New South Wales Electoral Commission in their efforts to foster voter participation and enfranchisement,” said Sam Campbell, Scytl General Manager for Asia-Pacific. “Feedback from voters was very positive as many of them highlighted the efficiency and convenience of the system. We have seen that iVote® has been used as an alternative to postal voting by citizens experiencing challenges with the postal service. The increase in the proportion of voters who can’t attend a polling place using online voting shows a clear trend towards technology adoption.”
Scytl’s systems and solutions maintain high levels of security and integrity through ongoing, rigorous testing, third party audits, and ongoing monitoring. It is thanks to the trailblazing efforts of New South Wales that these robust systems can showcase their potential for empowering voters whilst increasing election efficiency, transparency, and security.
iVote® is a registered trademark of the NSW Electoral Commission.
About Scytl
Scytl is leading the digital transformation and innovation in elections worldwide. Built up over 20 years of research and protected by over 40 international patents, Scytl’s solutions have been successfully used in over 30 countries across the globe, including the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, France, Germany, Switzerland, Brazil, South Africa, India and Australia. Scytl is headquartered in Barcelona and backed by leading international VC investors such as Vulcan Capital, Balderton Capital, and Nauta Capital. For more information, visit www.scytl.com.
For further information contact:
John McClymont, Daylight Agency
T: 0432 327 257