European Journal of ePractice

With the objective of facilitating citizen's participation in the several electoral and consultative processes carried out periodically in the country, the Swiss government commissioned the Federal Chancellery in August 2000 with the task of examining the feasibility of e-voting.

The initial assessment generated in January 2002 a first report on the options, risks and feasibility of e-voting. This report also suggested testing e-voting in live elections and public referenda. To carry on this testing, three cantons joined the project, and since then, a variety of legally binding tests of remote e-voting has been carried out in the Cantons of Geneva,
Neuchâtel and Zurich.

At present Neuchâtel continues using its e-participation platform integrated into its Guichet Sécuris. This platform was the second in the world that was permanently used to carry out binding elections and consultations through Internet. In this paper the Neuchâtel's case will be exposed, describing their objectives of e-voting, the measures and procedures followed, the technology used and the results obtained from their experiences.