Nearly a hundred direct elections, national or regional, were held in the world in 2021, despite the global pandemic. This speaks not only of the validity, but even of the obstinacy of the societies’ organizational system, which has been in operation for more than 2,500 years: Democracy.
In recent decades, as a result of the demands of citizens from all latitudes for greater involvement in the decisions that affect their lives, direct democracy has become increasingly prevalent. What is direct democracy about? Unlike indirect or representative democracy, where citizens elect representatives who make decisions for them, in direct democracy, collective decisions are made through the participation of each individual. While this has advantages, it also has complexities because it requires an infrastructure that allows for the permanent participation of millions, in a secure, transparent and efficient manner.
In this context, electronic voting has become a viable alternative that responds to the advance of technology, but also of politics.
At EVoting, which has been dedicated for 8 years to direct democracy, the figures for 2021 are totally coherent with this advance: both our voting and the votes received registered a considerable growth.
The processes -votings and assemblies-, which in 2020 reached a total of 634, in 2021 increased to 904, registering a 43% increase. Meanwhile, the number of votes - that is, the number of people who voted on our platforms - showed an unparalleled increase: if in 2020 we received a total of 208,250 votes, in 2021 this figure reached 402,416, which means an increase of 93%.
The benefits of electronic democracy are now known by millions of people who have exercised it: easy access and organization, significantly lower costs and transparent and immediate results. But above all, voters emphasize that this modality allows them to express their opinion and decide on their own issues and spaces, without intermediaries, safeguarding the basic requirements of any democratic electoral system, such as the secrecy of the vote, transparency and efficiency. Electronic democracy allows opening new spaces, on issues that today are not within the reach of citizen discussion.
We are convinced that in 2022 this process of greater participation will show new advances. At EVoting, we will remain committed to the improvement and deepening of our democracies.