Brussels (Brussels Morning) – PwC warned Belgium’s Home Ministry about flaws in the electronic voting system, which mistakenly granted 2,171 voters incorrect ballot papers in June’s elections across federal and regional levels, impacting seat distribution.
Consultancy company PwC warned the Home Ministry about possible flaws in the electronic voting system in April. This very system ushered in at least 2,171 voters acquiring incorrect ballot papers in the elections on 9 June.
How Did Electronic Voting Flaws Impact Belgian Elections?
Belgians voted in three different elections at the start of June: the country selected a Federal Government and regional Governments in Brussels, Flanders and Wallonia, and also had their vote on who would represent them at the European level. For the first time, 16- and 17-year-olds cast a vote in the latter.
A handful of the little cohort were mistakenly granted access to federal and municipal ballots via the electronic voting system in the prevalence of polling stations across the country. A Board of Experts has since figured that “it cannot be ruled out that the problem […] has had an impact on the final distribution of seats in one or more elections.”
How Did Electronic Voting Flaws Impact Belgian Elections?
It has now appeared that consultancy firm PwC, which has expertise in electronic voting, alerted the Home Ministry about flaws in the system in mid-April. The report at the time commented that there was “a chance that the head of the polling station would trigger a chip card for 16- and 17-year-old voters, which would also provide them unjustified access to the elections of the House of Representatives and the regional parliaments.”
The report recommended the government take “compensatory measures” to prevent these shortfalls. The Home Ministry states it acted on the recommendation and took steps to distinguish between children and other voters on the day, such as by handing out various coloured envelopes in the voting station upon arrival.
Was Human Error Responsible for Voting System Failures?
The Board of Experts sampled all districts in Brussels and Wallonia and a model of five in Flanders, which revealed that at least 2,171 voters were affected. A spokesperson said that the system’s collapses came down to “human error” on the day.
How Did Election Errors Affect Political Party Outcomes?
Open VLD has frequently called for a recount of the Flemish regional ballot. The liberals underwent one of their worst-ever performances this time round, bringing home just 5.4% of the votes federally and 8.3% regionally. Their proposal comes following the finding that they lost out on one seat by just 13 votes. Meanwhile, Team Fouad Ahidar has called for a recount in Brussels on the back of the Board of Experts’s statement, noting “human error” as potentially commanding the party several hundred votes.
