Electronic voting in Bulgaria and Germany

Abstract

In recent years, not only in Bulgaria but in the whole world, there has been a shift of citizens from politics. When voters feel they are not properly represented, they express a kind of protest against the political system and refuse to participate in the political life of their country. Politicians are tasked with finding alternative and more attractive ways of returning the voter to the ballot box. At the same time, the advent of the Internet, the rapid development of digital technologies and the means of communication not only change the way we communicate in society, but also require a new understanding of the ideas of politics and democracy. In this regard, electronic voting is an increasingly discussed and up-to-date topic. Proponents of e-voting find the already established paper based voting method, which is not current enough for the time we live in, and call for changes accepted as modernizing the electoral system. Critics find the euphoria of supporters to introduce voting by electronic means, which they believe will increase political participation of citizens, unjustified. The basis of this analysis is the state of the art and the practice of introducing electronic voting in Bulgaria and Germany, whether it is voting in a controlled or uncontrolled environment.