Electronic voting

The most prominent proof of the existence of democracy is elections, which determine the free will of the people. For this reason, elections occupy a place in the legal foundation of democratic governance as an indispensable element.

Elections, which we have been familiar with in our country since 1870, are constantly developing in terms of system and method, and their integrity is continuously debated.

Article 67 of the Constitution states that measures for the implementation of elections will be determined to enable Turkish citizens residing abroad to exercise their right to vote.

Since 1987, according to Article 94/II of Law No. 298, as amended by Law No. 3577, our citizens residing abroad have been able to cast their votes at customs gates starting from a date determined before election day during their entry and exit to the country.

Since the exercise of the right to vote in this practice has remained very limited, the issue of finding a different option has been discussed for years.

Due to the internal security concerns of the various countries where our citizens are located, a positive approach has not been taken regarding voting at the ballot box in those countries.

Methods such as postal voting and proxy voting have been discussed, but this method has not been accepted either, as an environment of trust could not be established regarding the possibility of the voter casting their vote in a unit free from pressure and in line with their own decision.

In parallel with the developments in the field of technology, the electronic voting method has also begun to be discussed in recent years.

However, considering the number and types of elections, as well as the technological equipment and the education level of the public, it has been concluded that the implementation of the electronic voting method in our country is very difficult.

The electronic voting method has been partially tested in the world in the USA, India, and some European countries, but it could not be widespread.

Following the on-site examination of the electronic voting system used in the recent elections in the USA by Supreme Election Council (YSK) Chairman Ahmet Yener, the debate on electronic voting for overseas voters in Turkey has come to the agenda again.

Nasuh Mahruki, who expressed his doubts about electronic voting, which is difficult to audit and control, has unfortunately been arrested.

It is a natural occurrence to approach the work of the Supreme Election Council on electronic voting with suspicion, as its credibility has been shaken due to practices such as counting unstamped ballots as valid, accepting one of the ballots in the same envelope as invalid while accepting others as valid, allowing those who do not trust the system to vote, and other practices; and it is not possible to reconcile the fact that those who express their opinions on this subject are faced with criminal sanctions with democracy.

When I think about how we welcomed criticisms with respect and learned lessons from them during my time serving at the Supreme Election Council, I view the point reached today with sadness.