Use of Information and Communication Technologies in the Election Process: Ukrainian Realities and Foreign Experience

Abstract

The features of the use of information and communication technologies in the election process have been examined in the article. In particular, the essence and features of electronic voting as a promising direction of modern information and communication technologies are determined. The foreign experience of using information and communication technologies is studied, namely, the normative-legal and organizational components of application of electronic voting and electronic counting of votes are determined. Based on the results of studying the experience of introducing e-voting on the example of the USA, Estonia, Switzerland, Germany, and Ireland, it has been concluded that it had not only positive consequences but also a negative result. Among the countries considered, in which electronic voting is currently used in elections, it has been found that Estonia has achieved the greatest success in this area, and which not only has a secure and reliable e-voting system but also a nationally mandated body, the National Electoral Committee, to manage the online voting system to ensure trust in the system. It has been found that in Ukraine the use of electronic voting in the election process is only at the stage of active discussion, experience in the use of this latest technology in the country is still lacking, and therefore its introduction remains an urgent need.