M-voting may be viable at 2027 Riigikogu election

The Riigikogu's Constitutional Committee plans to send a bill to its second reading in April, which, if passed, will enable mobile voting at the next Riigikogu elections in 2027, ETV news show "Aktuaalne kaamera" (AK) reported Tuesday.
The opposition has submitted hundreds of amendments ahead of this second reading.
Bills generally have three Riigikogu readings, ie. debating and votes, before going off to President Alar Karis for his assent. However, the last opportunity to make substantive amendments is between the first and second reading. As a result, this stage is a common time at which the type of filibustering seen at the Riigikogu since last April is seen.
Mobile voting, or m-Voting, ie. using a smartphone to vote, is not on the table for this June's European Parliament elections as the Riigikogu did not approve the same bill in time. Election-related laws must be adopted at least six months before any election.
e-votes can still be cast via a desktop or laptop computer, while ID authentication can be conducted via a phone.
The bill which will m-voting in three years' time, ie. at the next Riigikogu elections, is approaching its second reading, but given its controversial nature and opposition to it, this could lead to more night sessions as seen last spring and last fall.
A total of 266 amendments have been proposed to the bill.
Hendrik Johannes Terras (Eesti 200), who chairs the Riigikogu's constitutional affairs committee, told AK: "There is consensus within the coalition on moving forward with this bill, and I believe it will also be adopted this spring."
"My belief is that by the next Riigikogu elections, hopefully, m-voting will definitely be possible. Mobile voting is the direction we are moving towards," Terras continued.
The main opponent to m-voting, as it is with e-voting more broadly, is the opposition Conservative People's Party of Estonia (EKRE).
As a result, the party submitted the most amendments.
EKRE MP and constitutional affairs committee vice-chair Jaak Valge said m-voting cannot guarantee electoral confidentiality
"With the creation of the option to vote using smart phones, the requirement for confidentiality is not made stricter but is actually rendered more lenient," Valge told AK.
The Center Party, also historically opposed to e-voting, does not have a representative on the constitutional committee at present, following a wage of defections earlier this year which left it with just six MPs.
Within the remaining cadre of MPs can be found both supporters and opponents of m-voting. Vadim Belobrovtsev, deputy whip, said that implementing m-voting is not something which should be rushed.
Belobrovtsev told AK: "While other countries are very skeptical about whether to use e-voting at all, if we are to do so, we must do so wisely and safely."
In any case, Arne Koitmäe, head of the National Election Service (RVT), told AK he considers it realistic that, in addition to e-voting, m-voting will be available to voters as of the next Riigikogu elections.
Koitmäe said: "In fact, some technical issues need to be resolved, which, on the other hand, are also quite significant, involving everything related to app stores. The work is currently underway, and I cannot yet say when it might be completed,"
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Editor: Andrew Whyte, Merili Nael.
Source: 'Aktuaalne kaamera,' reporter Anne Raiste.