No curtains at home

Elections are fundamentally about trust. The losing party must trust the voting process enough to accept the outcome. We ensure this through built-in social checks: the polling workers, the voters waiting in line, the plain voting booths, and, of course, the curtains. All these elements are designed to ensure that everyone can see you cast your vote in confidence, without external influence. "Voting is secret," as our constitution clearly states. That’s also why selfies are forbidden in the voting booth. At home, however, we can’t recreate this kind of social control, which is why online voting is not yet legally allowed.

Rethinking the voting process

Is there no valid counterargument to this reasoning? There is. If we want to implement a digital voting system, we shouldn’t simply try to replicate the current process in a digital form. This is where today’s logic falters. We need to rethink the entire voting process, much like we’ve done for countless other highly sensitive tasks.

Twenty years ago, who would have thought we’d confidently confirm large bank transfers using an app like Itsme? Today, it’s second nature. If I trust my smartphone to manage my finances, why not to cast my vote? Let’s gather the best minds in the country to create a simple, secure, and trusted system. They won’t have to look far for inspiration.

In Estonia, people have been voting online since 2005. And no, Estonians don’t have voting booths with curtains in their living rooms. They’ve simply approached it differently. In Estonia, voters have 7 to 10 days to cast their vote, and during that time, they can vote as often as they like. Each new vote overrides the previous one. This solution ensures that even if someone is pressured into voting a certain way, they can change their vote later, making coercion ineffective.

Another potential solution could be a digital vault on your smartphone, where your vote is stored and visible only to you. When the vote is transmitted, all personal data is removed, ensuring that voting remains anonymous while still allowing for recounts if necessary.

New voting machines or a new system?

We have a critical moment to rethink our voting process. On October 13, we will likely use the current voting machines for the last time, as their lifespan only extends to 2027. Will the government purchase new machines to use in polling booths, or will we rethink the system and make it more future-proof?

Even traditional methods like paper ballots and voting machines are vulnerable to fraud. Consider the issue with incorrect voter cards that were distributed to minors in the elections this past June. Any solution must have built-in safeguards to prevent tampering and to ensure that election results can be verified later—just like in online banking.

I propose we reverse the logic. Holding on to outdated technology will eventually erode trust. In 15 to 20 years, the new generation of voters will no longer believe that voting with an erasable pencil, paper that can easily disappear, or a magnetic card without fingerprint or FaceID verification is safer. That, too, will become a reality.

Democracy is not something to gamble with. So, let’s discard the idea that online voting can’t be secure or private. And one day, we’ll look back with a sense of nostalgia at those voting booths with their curtains.

By Roeland Tegenbos

I'm CEO and founder of Craftzing. As a digital strategist I love to work with clients on a strong vision for their future and on a strategy that empowers them to take the lead. I'm a big fan of foresighting: thoughtfully anticipating what the next best move might be.