Going digital : exploring the implications of introducing electronic measures to enhance electoral procedures in Malta

Abstract

Electronic voting has only recently been part of the debate in Malta, however, in the United States and in other European states, a similar debate has been developing over five decades. While Electronic voting has been brought forward to the debate more than 5 decades ago in the United States and in the European Union, discussion about the matter has been gaining ground in Malta recently as well. This long essay, intends to explore the digital implications of electronic voting in Malta with special attention to the electronic counting in accordance to Malta’s Single Transferrable Vote electoral system as provided for in the Constitution of Malta to be introduced in Malta’s MEP and Local Council elections in 2019, analyse the different electronic voting machines, provide recommendations for electronic systems and examine the strengths and weaknesses of electronic voting.