Observing i-voting

The State Electoral Office is offering a training course on i-voting rules and procedures before the local elections. The acquired practical knowledge ensures a better grasp of the technicalities when observing i-voting on the election day.

PS! Both the training course and i-voting observation are available only in Estonian.

I-voting training seminar

On 28 and 29 September from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., online training seminars will be held to explain the technical details, procedures and security measures of i-voting, and answer the questions of observers.

First observation round of i-voting

On 5 October at 10 a.m., there will be a full check or test run of the i-voting system. A pair of encryption keys will be created to ensure the secrecy of voting. In addition, it is possible to observe the preparatory procedures of local elections as well as the post-voting procedures whose exact times will be announced to the interested parties at the appropriate time.
You can take part in the test vote online, and a limited number of participants are allowed to be present in person.

Second observation round of i-voting

On the election day, 17 October at 12 noon, the observers can observe the processing of electronic votes.
The counting of the electronic votes starts approximately 8.00 p.m.
You can take part in both procedures online, and a limited number of participants are allowed to be present in person.

Third observation round of i-voting

On the day following the election day, 18 October, the procedures of the election day are repeated. Additionally, internationally licensed auditors check the certificates of different i-vote processing stages as well as the proof that the votes were counted, and compare the results to the previous day.

Fourth observation round of i-voting

In order to maintain the secrecy of the votes and prevent them from being opened in the future, both the ballot papers and the i-votes are destroyed. This is done no later than one month after the resolution of the complaints. The observes may observe the destruction procedure of the electronic votes and the keys used to open the votes, as well as the computer hard drive used for opening the votes.

Registration and safety requirements

To take part in the training and observe the elections, please register by 20 September at [email protected].
Observers with pre-registration can take part in person. All the COVID-19 control measures in place at the time will be respected at the event. All the procedures can be observed and the training course can be taken online.

Observing in the polling place

Everyone has the right to observe the activities and procedures conducted by electoral committees and elections managers. Before starting to observe please identify yourself to the organisers.