Whereas the Belgian Parliament must soon deliver an opinion on the proposals of Minister of Interior Patrick Dewael for an improvement of e-voting by machine (a system of confirmation paper of electronically voted), the Unions of the cities do not have a joint position. Whereas the Flemish union is favorable to the maintenance of e-voting, the Walloon Union has more moderated position.
The Union of the wallones cities underlines the absence of unanimity on this subject. “It has no guarantee there that the code bar which will be on the confirmation paper is well the translation of voted by the computer” indicates the Walloon representative, who specifies that with the improvement suggested by the government, the cost will be nine times more expensive than the vote paper.
The union of the cities and Flemish communes made a clear decision for the maintenance of the e-voting.
Belgium is in the world one of the first countries used data-processing technologies in the electoral process. Thus, since 1991, of the experiments were carried out with machines to vote coupled to electronic ballot boxes able to read magnetic cards on which the vote of the voters was registered. Currently, 44% of the voters vote with this system of e-voting, that is to say more than 3,3 million voters divided in all the Kingdom. Mainly in Brussels (19 cities) and in Flanders (143 cities out of 308). But also in Wallonia (39 out of 262).
The decision on the future of the e-voting must intervene at the end of June, scratch date of the service contracts of the current system. If the opinion is favorable, the old system will remain in application for the elections of 2009 and the new system could come into effect as from 2010-2011.
