The voting challenge of the Municipality of Reggio Emilia
The Municipality of Reggio Emilia wanted to hold elections for the city councils in a more modern and accessible manner. The councils are composed of groups of residents from the neighborhoods and hamlets of Reggio Emilia, who are voted on by their fellow citizens on the basis of spontaneous nominations. Their role is to dialogue with the Administration to develop actions in the area and improve community well-being. In total, there are 9 councils, each representing the inhabitants of specific territorial areas, subdivided according to neighborhoods or hamlets, which make up a homogeneous part of the city.
In the past, these elections were administered with a traditional system based on paper ballots. In order to streamline the process and enable citizens to vote more independently, an experimental online ballot was opted for, allowing citizens to vote through the Digital Identity. Alternatively, citizens could vote at physical points specially set up in the territory, where it was possible to receive assistance or cast their vote through a One-Time Password (OTP) generated at the time, designed for underage citizens or those who did not have Digital Identity.
The solution
The Eligo platform has introduced key solutions to ensure successful city councils electronic and online voting. Among them:
- Dedicated Area Customization: Voters were able to customize the dedicated area for voting operations, including viewing the list of candidates from their Area and selecting two candidates of different genders, as required by the regulations.
- Access via Digital Identity or OTP: Voters could log in via the Public Digital Identity System or receive a temporary OTP generated by trained operators.
- Flexibility in Voting Hours: Voters could vote online on multiple days, 24 hours a day, without the need to physically go to voting points.
- Secure and Safe Access: The platform ensured secure access and privacy of the electorate, respecting the uniqueness and secrecy of voting.
- Ease of Use of Backoffice: The staff and volunteers in charge of managing the voting assistance points appreciated the ease of use of the backoffice console.
Results
245 candidates ran on 9 lists, with 112 candidates elected directly. The total number of voters was 5,251. A not insignificant plus was the possibility of uniquely cross-referencing the voter’s voter registration data with his or her Area of Reference list, simplifying the voting process and helping citizens identify their Area of Reference accurately, without errors. This was particularly useful for citizens who were unsure of the territorial scope to which their district of residence belonged.
