Author(s): Ministry of Interior
Resource Type: Case studies
Countries: Oman
Keywords: Access to Information, e-Participation, Citizen Engagement, Elections, E-Government, Artificial Intelligence, Cloud Computing, Public Sector Innovation, Collaboration
Digital Transformation in Oman Elections Process
Source in Arabic: ENACT Case Study - Digital Transformation in Elections, Oman
The electoral process in Oman has witnessed significant advancements in the automation of its procedures after various amendments to the election's laws and regulations. Modern technologies were used to enhance the transparency and inclusivity of the electoral process. The elections developed from paper ballots to automated procedures and use of innovative modern applications, such as the Intikhab (انتخاب) application, which have contributed to enhancing comfort, security, and transparency, and increasing community participation. This development allowed citizens, including women and older persons, to participate in elections and contributed to building an active democratic society.
Principles supported
- Responsiveness
- Trust
- Transparency
- Inclusiveness
- Effectiveness
Technology focus
Cloud computing - Artificial intelligence
Purpose
Oman's Electoral Services Digital Transformation initiative aims at strengthening democracy and developing the electoral process. This includes enabling everyone to participate in voting, from inside and outside Oman, and reducing the cost of elections. The initiative also seeks to increase the transparency and accuracy of the electoral process through the application of advanced technologies and secure systems, which facilitates the voting process and counting votes, and ensures high accuracy in results. Through building public trust and increasing public participation, the initiative contributes to developing a strong and prosperous democratic society.
Contributors/ Partners
- Royal Oman Police
- Ministry of Transport, Communications, and Information Technology
Functions and/or Features
Develop an initiative to automate all steps related to the elections process, from registering voters and candidates to enabling citizens to vote using their mobile phones. This was achieved through the development of an application that provides all electoral services, such as registration, transfer of registration, registration of candidates, presentation of lists, awareness dialogue pages, and others. In addition to an application that allows citizens to vote from anywhere via their phones, with an artificial intelligence feature to verify their identity quickly and easily.
Outcomes, impacts & changes
- Significant improvements in the elections process through streamlining procedures, reducing paperwork, and making the process faster, which in turn make the process easier for voters.
- The use of new technologies has contributed to improving transparency and accuracy of elections through reducing human errors in counting votes and producing results.
- Enhance accessibility and inclusiveness in the electoral process, which allows people with disabilities to vote.
Challenges
- Legislations and laws: Amendments to electoral laws and related legislation were necessary to allow the implementation of modern technologies in electoral processes. These amendments require strong will and cooperation with authorities to develop laws that support the effective and transparent use of modern technologies.
- Voter adoption of technical tools: The initiative faced a challenge in raising awareness of voters about the benefits of modern technologies in electoral processes. This requires enhancing voter's acceptance and trust in these technologies and comprehensive awareness efforts to encourage them to benefit from them.
- Weak telecommunication network in some areas: The main challenge in remote areas or areas with poor infrastructure was the lack of good communication. The implementation of modern technologies in these areas is difficult due to the lack of necessary communication infrastructure. This requires additional efforts to scale the network and improve communications to ensure that modern technologies are available in all regions.
Lessons learned
- The laws and legislations related to elections must be updated to keep pace with technological developments and enhance transparency and participation.
- Raising awareness and training are required to introduce voters to the new technologies and train them to use them effectively.
- The necessary infrastructure must be provided to adopt new technologies in all regions.
- Maintaining security and privacy is essential in the use of modern technologies.
- Continuous evaluation and improvement of the performance of technologies is required, in addition to receiving voter feedback to improve the electoral process.
Useful links
Intikhab (انتحاب) Application: Apple store, Google play, and Huawei gallery.
