Council of Europe: new guidelines on voter registration and authentication in Europe

The Council of Europe recently published guidelinesthat aim to ensure the security and privacy of voters, in the processes of registration and authentication to access voting. 

The new recommendations were developed by the Consultative Committee of “Convention 108” (Convention for the protection of individuals with regard to automatic processing of personal data) and aim to safeguard personal data by protecting the fundamental rights and privacy of every individual involved in the electoral process. 

The document highlights key issues regarding the legitimacy of data processing, cybersecurity, the rights of data subjects, and the obligations of election authorities. The Council insists on the importance of protecting sensitive data (such as biometric information, political opinions, and ethnic origin), as they are particularly at risk of manipulation, placing at risk the secret voting and facilitating forms of intimidation, discrimination or electoral fraud.

In an increasingly digitized world, it is clear that the protection of personal data becomes essential in the electoral context as well. Any democratic system must ensure, first of all, that only eligible citizens are entered into the electoral registers and that the identity of those who vote is properly authenticated (also in keeping with the principle of “one voter, one vote”). These recommendations seem even more important in the face of experiments with new remote voting methods and the need to protect digital identity. 

In this context, data controllers, including Election Management Bodies (EMBs), play a crucial role in ensuring that procedures meet the standards of Convention 108+ while safeguarding citizens' rights. The Council of Europe guidelines also provide, then, a framework for the development of national codes of conduct, to be developed in collaboration with Data Protection Authorities, so that electoral practices are adapted to the political and cultural specificities of each country.

The goal is clear: to make electoral processes more secure, transparent and respectful of individual rights, without sacrificing privacy in favor of technological innovation.