As one form of election technology, e-voting can be an option to improve election quality and address electoral challenges. Countries such as Brazil have successfully implemented e-voting and continue to use it today. However, many other countries have found e-voting to create new and more complex problems, prompting them to return to manual voting systems. In Indonesia’s context, the more pressing needs are electronic vote tabulation (e-recapitulation) for domestic elections and internet voting for Indonesian citizens residing abroad.
“There is an assumption that switching to e-voting makes us more advanced in terms of technology. In reality, many countries that pioneered technological innovation have moved away from e-voting. In the Netherlands, for example, there was a movement called ‘We Don’t Trust the Machine’ because e-voting did not guarantee the security and integrity of election results,” explained Heroik M. Pratama, Executive Director of the Association for Elections and Democracy (Perludem), during a discussion titled “E-Voting: A Solution or a Problem?” held in Jakarta on July 14.
Heroik also highlighted examples of countries that have successfully implemented e-voting. Brazil, for instance, succeeded because it met a number of essential prerequisites. The country began introducing e-voting technology in 1994, starting with the establishment of a strong legal framework. Voting and vote-counting technologies are critical components of the electoral process, and without legal certainty and safeguards, their implementation can be problematic. In this regard, Indonesia has not yet fulfilled the necessary legal requirements, making the adoption of e-voting for the 2029 General Election an unsuitable option.
Hadar Nafis Gumay, Executive Director of the Network for Democracy and Electoral Integrity (Netgrit), emphasized the need to assess election technology based on the voting rights of Indonesian citizens overseas. He pointed to Estonia’s successful experience with internet voting rather than e-voting. The use of technology that aligns with electoral needs can help increase voter participation. To date, voter turnout among Indonesians abroad has remained relatively low. Internet voting could offer a solution to overcome the various access barriers faced by Indonesian citizens living overseas.
“The voting and vote-counting process at polling stations is one of the strongest aspects of Indonesia’s electoral system. If we switch to e-voting, we risk eliminating one of the best features of our elections,” Hadar stated, underscoring the different technological needs of domestic polling stations and overseas voting arrangements.
Technology expert and JagaSuara2024 initiator Reza Lesmana highlighted Indonesia’s long experience with electronic vote tabulation (e-recapitulation). According to him, moving directly to e-voting would not only disregard that experience but also introduce a technology for which the country may not yet be adequately prepared.
“From a technological standpoint, e-recapitulation is the most feasible option. Indonesia has been implementing e-recapitulation since the 2004 General Election. In general, the problems and errors encountered in one election cycle have been addressed and improved in the next,” Reza explained.
This media discussion took place in the context of ongoing efforts to revise Indonesia’s Election Law and strengthen the electoral system. Among the topics currently being discussed by the General Elections Commission (KPU) are election technologies such as electronic vote tabulation (Sirekap) and e-voting.
