Parliamentary elections in Georgia: embracing the digital transformation

2024 is the election year: in total over 70 countries worldwide, including Georgia, will embark on pivotal electoral processes that shape the future of their democracies and more people are expected to vote in national elections than ever before.

Recognising the magnitude of the modern global electoral landscape, the interrelations among democratic processes, international standards, and the technology, are all to be considered in shaping electoral outcomes.

Upholding human rights, we acknowledge the unprecedented role that technologies play in modern elections, and we affirm our commitment to guide and monitor their deployment in Georgia in line with the principles of democracy, transparency and accountability.

The forthcoming parliamentary elections in Georgia will be held on 26 October and bears particular significance for various reasons.

Firstly, these are the first elections subsequent to Georgia becoming an EU candidate country, thus amplifying our responsibility to accurately observe relevant European and international standards throughout the electoral process.

Secondly, per recent constitutional amendments, the electoral system will now exclusively utilise a proportional representation model, replacing the previous mixed system of proportional and majoritarian representation.

Thirdly, and the most significantly, elections will be held with a substantial technological enhancement, whereby nearly 90 percent of voters will benefit from a service known as voter verification, facilitated through advanced election technology and vote-counting machines.

In line with the amendments to the Election Code, the Central Election Commission (CEC) introduced new technologies to electoral process extensively piloted and tested by the institution since 2018.

The European as well as international standards require a state to hold multiple rounds of piloting and testing before deploying the technology in election.

Eight pilot projects

To date, eight pilot projects have been implemented, including trials during general and extraordinary elections. Successful international practices and positive outcomes of these processes enabled the legislators to adopt relevant legislative amendments through a multi-party agreement. 

Consequently, through relevant tender, the CEC has partnered with the international vendor company “Smartmatic” for the provision of electronic voting devices and relevant software. “Smartmatic” has extensive experience in modernising elections in more than 30 countries, including the USA, Canada, Belgium, Estonia and others.

In general, an electronic election uses technology for voting, counting, result transmission, and voter verification.

However, after reviewing international practices and with a view to protect against manipulation and cyber threats, we have reached a consensus to exclude internet usage for vote verification and counting.

Moreover, election integrity remains secured through an auditable system managed by the American company "Pro V & V," one of only two accredited firms by the relevant agencies, to conduct a three-stage technology audit.

This is a crucial step that underscores our commitment to accountability.

Furthermore, to comply with the European standards, we have integrated a paper trail into the electoral process, which facilitates verification and auditing of voter identities and vote counts.

Thus, all precincts using technologies, will also conduct mandatory recounts of results from each polling station. It will allow not only to verify the accuracy of machine counts but also to compare with manual-counted totals.

There will be 3,031 election precincts, of which 2,263 will be equipped with technological and electronic systems, while the rest 768 will remain traditional.

The criteria for designating precincts as technological or traditional were established by the legislator, focusing on the capital, self-governing cities, and district centres. Additionally, we developed further criteria in consultation with stakeholders.

For instance, precincts with fewer than 300 voters will not receive technological systems, and precincts located more than 20km from any of the 73 electoral constituencies will also be excluded from this designation. Nonetheless, this system will ultimately cover 90 percent of voters.

The CEC spared no effort to facilitate this technological transition. The institution launched extensive information and educational campaigns engaging more than 600,000 voters through direct outreach.

These initiatives included universal projects, pilot projects, and mock voting events in subways, houses of justice, service agencies, and other public areas where citizens of Georgia had the opportunity to examine firsthand experience of electronic technologies.

The CEC together with the ministry of foreign affairs, also ensures that citizens of Georgia outside the country are able to exercises their voting right.

For this, per the consular registration data submitted by the MFA, the CEC has created 67 election precincts in 53 cities across 42 countries that will deploy traditional polling stations. 

Throughout the year, we have coordinated with the ministry and the relevant embassies to keep our compatriots abroad informed about key deadlines, procedures, and rules related to their electoral participation.  

In a time of rapid global change, our primary goal is to protect the integrity of the electoral process while adapting to the fast pace of modern society. We are dedicated to overcome challenges by introducing innovative solutions that enhance the electoral landscape.

With a clear vision for the future, we aim to take a proactive role in shaping electoral policies, advancing electronic technologies, and improving information and communication systems, ultimately elevating the electoral environment in Georgia.