Political Participation and Security Risks of Internet Voting in Ukraine under Martial Law
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.31861/mediaforum.2026.18.98-119Keywords:
political participation, internet voting, electronic democracy, electoral process, martial law, cybersecurity, legitimacy, trust, UkraineAbstract
The article examines internet voting as a potential mechanism for ensuring political participation in Ukraine under martial law. The full-scale war has significantly complicated access to traditional electoral procedures for military personnel, internally displaced persons, citizens abroad, and residents of affected territories, thereby making the search for alternative instruments to preserve the inclusiveness of the electoral process particularly relevant. It is argued that internet voting is capable of reducing spatial and organizational barriers to participation; however, at the same time, it generates serious security risks. The main threats include the cyber vulnerability of infrastructure, external interference, problems of remote voter identification, risks of violating the secrecy of the vote, and undermining the legitimacy of results. The article demonstrates that, in wartime, trust in digital elections is determined not only by the technological reliability of the system, but also by the institutional resilience of the state and the level of public trust. It is concluded that the possible introduction of internet voting in Ukraine requires a phased approach, proper regulatory framework, a high level of cybersecurity, and preliminary testing.
Downloads
References
1. Didenko, O. M. 2023. Shchodo pravovoi osnovy dlia provedennia povoiennykh vyboriv v Ukraini [On the Legal Basis for Holding Post-War Elections in Ukraine]. Yurydychnyi naukovyi elektronnyi zhurnal [Legal Scientific Electronic Journal] 12: 55–58 (In Ukrainian). https://doi.org/10.32782/2524-0374/2023-12/9
2. Monastyrskyi, M. V. 2025. Dystantsiine holosuvannia ukrainskykh hromadian za kordonom na pershykh povoiennykh vyborakh i referendumi pro vstup Ukrainy do Yevropeiskoho Soiuzu [Remote Voting of Ukrainian Citizens Abroad in the First Post-War Elections and the Referendum on Ukraine’s Accession to the European Union]. Naukovyi visnyk Uzhhorodskoho natsionalnoho universytetu. Seriia: Pravo [Scientific Bulletin of Uzhhorod National University. Series: Law] 90, no. 1: 308–313 (In Ukrainian). https://doi.org/10.24144/2307-3322.2025.90.1.40
3. Symysenko, I. 2025. Politychna uchast ta elektronna demokratiia: vyklyky v umovakh rosiiskoho vtorhnennia v Ukrainu [Political Participation and Electronic Democracy: Challenges in the Context of the Russian Invasion of Ukraine]. Naukovi pratsi Mizhrehionalnoi Akademii upravlinnia personalom. Politychni nauky ta publichne upravlinnia [Scientific Works of the Interregional Academy of Personnel Management. Political Sciences and Public Administration] 1(77): 169–175 (In Ukrainian). https://doi.org/10.32689/2523-4625-2025-1(77)-24
4. Chaika, I., and Tsokur Ye. 2024. Tsyfrovizatsiia vyboriv v Ukraini i sviti: etychni vymiry fenomenu [Digitalization of Elections in Ukraine and the World: Ethical Dimensions of the Phenomenon]. Humanities Studies 20(97): 140–147 (In Ukrainian). https://doi.org/10.32782/hst-2024-20-97-16
5. Sikora, I. I. 2024. Dovira elektoratu do elektronnykh tekhnolohii u vyborchomu protsesi: svitovyi dosvid [Electorate Trust in Electronic Technologies in the Electoral Process: Global Experience]. Visnyk NTUU “KPI”. Politolohiia. Sotsiolohiia. Pravo [Bulletin of NTUU “KPI”. Political Science. Sociology. Law] 3(63): 64–70 (In Ukrainian). https://doi.org/10.20535/2308-5053.2024.3(63).313502
6. Abdala, M. B. 2024. “In-Person or Convenience Voting? The Role of the Direct Costs in Explaining Preferences for Voting Modalities.” Electoral Studies 91: 102851. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.electstud.2024.102851.
7. Abdala, M., Plescia C., Boyer M., and Brunetti A. 2025. “Trust in Government or in Technology? What Really Drives Internet Voting.” Political Research Quarterly 78, no. 2: 783–796. https://doi.org/10.1177/10659129251321424
8. Agbesi, S., Budurushi J., Dalela A., Nissen C., and Kulyk O. 2024. “How to Increase Transparency and Trust in Internet Voting Systems: An Experimental Study.” Proceedings of the 13th Nordic Conference on Human-Computer Interaction: 1–18. https://doi.org/10.1145/3679318.3685362
9. Central Election Commission of Ukraine. 2025. Report of the Central Election Commission for 2024. Kyiv. https://www.cvk.gov.ua/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Zvit-CVK_2024_eng.pdf
10. Council of Europe. 2017. Recommendation CM/Rec(2017)5 of the Committee of Ministers to Member States on Standards for E-Voting. Strasbourg. https://search.coe.int/cm/Pages/result_details.aspx?ObjectId=0900001680726f6f
11. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, Election Assistance Commission, Federal Bureau of Investigation, National Association of Secretaries of State. 2020. Risk Management for Electronic Ballot Delivery, Marking, and Return. https://www.cisa.gov/sites/default/files/2024-02/Final_%20Risk_Management_for_Electronic-Ballot_05082020_508c.pdf
12. Decman, M., and Kozel E. 2023. “Examining the Impacts of Technology and Trust on I-Voting Acceptance in the COVID-19 Aftermath.” International Journal of Electronic Government Research 19, no. 1: 1–23. https://doi.org/10.4018/IJEGR.327454
13. Ehin, P., Solvak M., Willemson J., and Vinkel P. 2022. “Internet Voting in Estonia 2005–2019: Evidence from Eleven Elections.” Government Information Quarterly 39, no. 2: 101718. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.giq.2022.101718
14. Erben, P., and Kobakhidze G. 2023. “What Would It Take to Hold Elections in Ukraine?” IFES, September 21. https://www.ifes.org/news/what-would-it-take-hold-elections-ukraine
15. Germann, M. 2021. “Internet Voting Increases Expatriate Voter Turnout.” Government Information Quarterly 38, no. 2: 101560. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.giq.2020.101560
16. Goodman, N., and Stokes L. 2020. “Reducing the Cost of Voting: An Evaluation of Internet Voting’s Effect on Turnout.” British Journal of Political Science 50, no. 3: 1155–1167. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0007123417000849
17. Heinl, M., Gölz S., and Bösch C. 2022. “Remote Electronic Voting in Uncontrolled Environments: A Classifying Survey.” ACM Computing Surveys 55, no. 8: 167. https://doi.org/10.1145/3551386
18. IFES. 2022. Understanding Cybersecurity Throughout the Electoral Process: A Reference Document. An Overview of Cyber Threats and Vulnerabilities in Elections. https://www.ifes.org/sites/default/files/2022-10/Understanding_Cybersecurity_Throughout_the_Electoral_Process_A_Reference_Document_FINAL.pdf
19. International IDEA. 2023. Elections during Emergencies and Crises: Lessons for Electoral Integrity from the Covid-19 Pandemic. Stockholm: International IDEA. https://doi.org/10.31752/idea.2023.24
20. International IDEA. 2025. Online Voting: Current and Future Practices. Stockholm: International IDEA. https://doi.org/10.31752/idea.2025.69
21. International IDEA. 2023. Special Voting Arrangements: The International IDEA Handbook. Stockholm: International IDEA. https://doi.org/10.31752/idea.2023.84
22. International IDEA. 2022. Supporting Ukraine’s Democracy After the War: Key Issues, Comparative Experience and Best Practices. Stockholm: International IDEA. https://doi.org/10.31752/idea.2022.39
23. International IDEA, European Parliament. 2023. Parliamentary Electoral Dialogue: Challenges and Needs for Holding Out-of-Country Voting for Ukraine’s Post-War Elections – Key Takeaways. https://www.idea.int/sites/default/files/2023-10/Ukraine%20OCV%20Dialogue%20-%20Key%20Takeaways.pdf
24. Krimmer, R., Duenas-Cid D., and Krivonosova I. 2021. “New Methodology for Calculating Cost-Efficiency of Different Ways of Voting: Is Internet Voting Cheaper?” Public Money & Management 41, no. 1: 17–26. https://doi.org/10.1080/09540962.2020.1732027
25. National Institute of Standards and Technology. 2024. Cybersecurity Framework Election Infrastructure Profile. Gaithersburg, MD: NIST. https://doi.org/10.6028/NIST.VTS.200-1
26. OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights. 2013. Handbook for the Observation of New Voting Technologies. Warsaw: OSCE/ODIHR. https://www.osce.org/sites/default/files/f/documents/0/6/104939.pdf
27. OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights. 2024. Handbook for the Observation of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) in Elections. Warsaw: OSCE/ODIHR. https://cdn.osce.org/sites/default/files/f/documents/c/9/558318_0.pdf
28. Sindermann, C., Rozgonjuk D., Solvak M., Realo A., and Vassil K.. 2023. “Internet Voting: The Role of Personality Traits and Trust across Three Parliamentary Elections in Estonia.” Current Psychology 42: 26555–26569. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-022-03644-4
29. Springall, D., Finkenauer T., Durumeric Z., Kitcat J., Hursti H., MacAlpine M., and Halderman J. 2014. “Security Analysis of the Estonian Internet Voting System.” Proceedings of the 2014 ACM SIGSAC Conference on Computer and Communications Security: 703–715. https://doi.org/10.1145/2660267.2660315
30. Stockemer, D., Wigginton M. 2024. “The (Complex) Effect of Internet Voting on Turnout: Theoretical and Methodological Considerations.” Policy & Internet 16, no. 3: 607–627. https://doi.org/10.1002/poi3.393
31. Turnbull-Dugarte, S., and Devine D. 2023. “Support for Digitising the Ballot Box: A Systematic Review of I-Voting Pilots and a Conjoint Experiment.” Electoral Studies 86: 102679. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.electstud.2023.102679
32. Vassil, K., Solvak M., Vinkel P., Trechsel A., and Alvarez R. 2016. “The Diffusion of Internet Voting. Usage Patterns of Internet Voting in Estonia between 2005 and 2015.” Government Information Quarterly 33, no. 3: 453–459. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.giq.2016.06.007
33. Venice Commission. 2020. Principles for a Fundamental Rights-Compliant Use of Digital Technologies in Electoral Processes. Strasbourg. https://www.venice.coe.int/webforms/documents/?pdf=CDL-AD%282020%29037-e
Published
Issue
Section
License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
How to Cite
