ELECTIONS BY COMMON REGISTER
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«The local election committees just inform the pollers of the date, place and nature of the voting a certain period before the elections», Atom Mkhitaryan, representative of Kve (translated from Armenian as vote), the Armenian Center of the Election Systems. In his words, there is a single register, in which all the voters are included. In each state structures responsible for the register differ. It can be the committee that organizes the elections, in some states it is the Ministry of Home Affairs”, Atom Mkhitaryan said.
The common register is accepted in the former socialist countries like Hungary, Czechia; some the CIS states are making attempts to create such a system. In Kazakhstan, for example, an e-voting was organized and the lists of the voters were placed at the website. Election registers disappear in the atmosphere of mutual trust. “The voter should trust the election committee, and the state should trust the voter. Only under this condition the compiling of the lists of voters can be cancelled. However in my opinion a common register should be complied in Armenia where an atmosphere if distrust reigns. Thus the common register will exclude repeated voting and registrations», Atom Mkhitaryan said.
Who should compile the register? According to Mkhitaryan the register should be complied by the passport and visa department. ''To date it is the only informed body capable to answer where a citizen was registered, when he left the country and when returned''. However the Central Election Committee composed by different parties including the opposition ones should have access the registers.
Is e-voting possible in Armenia? Atom Mkhitaryan considers that with the proper technical provision and awareness of the voters it could be possible. By the way in developing countries e-voting is implied concurrently with the traditional one.
By Karine Asatryan
