DAVIDOVIĆ: CEC MUST PROVIDE PROOF THAT NEW TECHNOLOGIES DO NOT THREATEN VOTING SECRECY

BANJA LUKA, AUGUST 15 /SRNA/ – Introducing new technologies into the electoral process can be a step forward only if the system is lawful, secure and independently verifiable, SNSD Presidency member Nemanja Davidović said in a statement to SRNA.

"At this point, there are too many unanswered questions for us to simply accept assurances from the CEC that everything will work as intended," Davidović stressed.

Davidović, an electrical engineer specializing in computer science and information technology, reminded that the CEC itself had identified problems in its 2024 pilot-project report concerning the use of scanners, including instances in which ballot secrecy was compromised.

"We are not talking about an assumption, but a problem identified by the CEC itself. The public therefore has the right to know exactly what has been changed and how that risk has been eliminated," he stated.

A particular concern, Davidović said, is the simultaneous use of electronic voter identification and scanners that digitally read ballots.

"The CEC must publicly and in an independently verifiable manner demonstrate that the system architecture does not allow a voter’s identity to be linked to their ballot. It is not enough for the voter’s name and vote not to be recorded in the same database.

If the identification system leaves an audit trail of a voter’s identification, while the scanner records the time, sequence or other metadata associated with ballots, the question arises as to whether these data could subsequently be correlated. It must be impossible to reconstruct a link between a particular voter and a particular ballot by cross-referencing such data. When it comes to ballot secrecy, there must be no room for assumptions," Davidović emphasized.

He also raised questions about the system’s reliability and availability.

"The CEC itself identified network-load problems in the pilot project involving a relatively small number of scanners immediately after polling stations closed, and we are now talking about thousands of devices. The public needs to know whether the system has been tested under the actual expected load and whether backup infrastructure has truly been established and tested," Davidović said.

He explained that, with a system on which the electoral process depends, it must be known in advance what happens if the main system, communications or part of the infrastructure fails, or if a serious cyberattack occurs.

He also raised a legal issue concerning the new design of ballots, noting that the Election Law of BiH stipulates that a ballot contains the names of all candidates, whereas under the new model, the section completed by voters contains candidates’ numbers.

"The CEC itself stated as recently as 2025 that the existing legal provisions governing the design and content of ballots could not be implemented with scanners and that amendments to the law were the responsibility of the BiH Parliamentary Assembly. If a legislative amendment was required at the time, the CEC must explain how this solution has now been introduced through secondary legislation," Davidović said.

According to him, the new voting method also raises practical concerns about the number of voter errors.

"When voters have candidates' numbers rather than their names on the part of the ballot they are required to complete, the voting process becomes more complicated. This increases the likelihood of mistakes, particularly among older voters, and could lead to a significantly higher number of invalid ballots. Election technology should simplify the voting process and make it more secure, rather than make it more difficult for voters to clearly express their electoral choice," Davidović stressed.

He assessed that the use of technology capable of preventing electoral fraud was not in question, but rather the way in which its security and reliability are demonstrated.

"It is good that paper ballots and manual counting remain a mechanism for verifying results, but by introducing biometric identification, scanners and central information systems, we are also introducing new risks that must be identified in advance and independently verified.

And let me be completely clear - the BiH CEC cannot simply be taken at its word. In previous electoral processes, we have already seen positions and decisions within the CEC change practically overnight. Therefore, we are not asking for assurances that the system is secure. We are asking them to prove it," Davidović said.