Electoral Technologies workshop in Ukraine

On August 13-16, IFES Ukraine and the IFES-Central Election Commission Training Center conducted a four-day BRIDGE workshop, “Information and Communication Technologies in Elections,” which brought together 20 participants (6 men, 13 women, and 1 unidentified) from the CEC, state institutions – the National Security and Defense Council, the State Service of Special Communications and Information Protection of Ukraine, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Culture and Information Policy, Suspilne Public Television, and civil society partners – OPORA, CHESNO, Fight For Right, CEDEM, and Cyfrolaba.

The event aimed to improve participants’ knowledge of information and communication technologies (ICT) used throughout the electoral cycle, including artificial intelligence-based technologies, electronic voter registration and identification, election result management systems, and internet voting.

During the workshop, participants explored the advantages and disadvantages of using up-to-date technologies for election administration, such as artificial intelligence, e-voting, and e-identification. In particular, they learned more about international standards and best practices for using ICT in elections and analyzed case studies of applying ICT for elections in various countries. For instance, Dariia Shevchenko, news editor of Suspilne Public Television, noted that she gained valuable insights into international standards regulating the use of electronic voting in elections and will share the obtained knowledge and experience with her colleagues.

The workshop served as a platform enabling participants to exchange experiences, maintain dialogue, and foster cooperation between public institutions and civil society in the field of digital technologies and cybersecurity in elections.