Oman e-Voting system

Source in English:   ESCWA-OECD Case Study - The e-Voting system, Oman

The e-Voting system is an innovative initiative that lays the foundation for the digitization of the Oman Shura Council and municipal elections, ensuring integrity, transparency and efficiency in the voting process.   It was implemented in 2011 and first deployed in 2019, which marked a significant milestone in Oman's political journey.   Adopting this system enhances citizens participation in national decision-making, and fosters open government, digital transformation and democracy in the Sultanate.

Implementation: 2011

Contributor(s)

This system was designed and implemented by the Ministry of Interior, in cooperation with the Ministry of Technology and Communications, the Royal Oman Police, the Shura Council, and telecommunications organizations.

Purpose

This initiative aims to streamline the elections process, encouraging Omanis to exercise their right to vote, eliminating any possibility of error or fraud, and ensuring a quick and seamless procedure for candidates and voters.

Functions

Through the use of open databases and advanced technologies, the e-Voting system helps reduce administrative time, enables remote connectivity and allows voters to cast their votes online, independently, from anywhere in the world.   Citizens are given smart ID cards that are activated by the public key infrastructure connecting all polling stations and allowing the system to authenticate voters' registration and update their registers.  Furthermore, election results can be released in real time.

Clients

All Omani citizens residing in the Sultanate or abroad benefit from this system.

Outcome

• Facilitating and streamlining the application and voting processes and allowing Omanis to exercise their right to vote sensibly and wisely.
• Reducing the time of the election process, from registration to authentication and voting.
• Unifying polling stations, which helps voters save the cost and inconvenience of travel.
• Encouraging more people to participate in the elections, including workers, expatriates, and youth.
• Promoting women's full and effective participation in decision-making and leadership.
• Contributing to environmental sustainability by establishing a system that is completely automated and paperless.

Challenges

The need to raise public awareness on citizen's rights and representation was one of the main challenges, and it was addressed through conducting massive public awareness programmes.

Useful links

Oman Elections
Video on e-voting - 2019
Video on steps for e-voting - 2019