Internet Voting in Estonia

Abstract

The recent decade has seen growing interest in Internet voting from the scholarly point of view as well as form the perspective of policy makers. Some have argued that the introduction of e-voting breaks down the barriers hindering political participation and, through easy access to the electoral process, boosts turnout. Others have a more pessimistic view, claiming that e-voting affects only those few who are highly engaged in politics already. This study aims to shed light on the topics beyond this debate. In particular, our objective is to analyse the determinants that lead some citizens to opt for e-voting and others for traditional means of participation. We ask the question of who is voting online and how can we explain the choice of the voting channel? Only then are we able to provide a more scrutinised answer to the question of whether Internet voting indeed affects the aggregate levels of turnout.