https://citizens-initiative.europa.eu/_en, This is the initiative I am talking about. You have to prove you are an EU citizen and then you can sign for the initiatives you want and if a million signatures are reaching within a year then it must be brought to the EU commission.

So if citizens of EU member states can sign online, why can’t they vote online for elections or referendums? If possible, this would decrease the need and power of representative democracy and move closer to direct democracy, which I argue is a good thing

  • Björn Tantau@swg-empire.de
    51·
    4 days ago

    Because signing a petition isn’t voting. First and foremost voting should be anonymous. Secondly voting should be secret. Combine these with online voting from an unsecured location where your spouse could coerce you into voting for their candidate and it becomes a security nightmare.

    On top of that voting should be transparent. With simple paper ballots any child, idiot and elderly person, every citizen can understand how it works. YOU can keep an eye on the whole process to make sure everything is counted and reported correctly. This isn’t a theoretical possibility. People actually do that. And that way irregularities do get spotted.

    • TranquilTurbulence@lemmy.zip
      6·
      4 days ago

      You could summarize the whole transparency thing into just one word: trust. As long as people trust that everything is fine, the society can continue to function. When people loose trust, everything falls apart.

      If you can convince millions of people that the voting system works and is fair, you can have a democratic society. If not, you might want to look into alternatives such as totalitarian dictatorship, monarchy or even post apocalyptic absolute chaos.

    • Deceptichum@quokk.auEnglish
      51·
      4 days ago

      Combine these with online voting from an unsecured location where your spouse could coerce you into voting for their candidate and it becomes a security nightmare.

      Uh like postal voting from home? This should not be a serious concern.

      • Enoril@jlai.lu
        9·
        4 days ago

        It is still a valid concern here and it’s why we still vote physically.

        We also put our paper choice in a envelope, operation done from a one person polling booth. People in the voting room make sure everyone, including couples, are not watching or forcing a choice to another.

        The vote is always done the Sunday to give the time for the most people to go voting (a lot of enterprises and shops are closed the Sunday). And if you work, your boss can’t block you to leave few hours for voting.