Koper, 11 February 2026 – Three questions lie at the heart of the debate on the future of democracy: how can the secrecy of the vote be preserved in a digital environment? How can the integrity of the process be demonstrably protected against cyberattacks and hybrid pressures? And above all, how can public trust in the outcome be built when doubt is often the cheapest and most effective weapon?
Yesterday, Tuesday, 10 February 2026, EMUNI University hosted the international DIGIVOTE conference, which opened an interdisciplinary discussion on the future of electronic and internet voting in Europe. The conference highlighted that digital elections are a likely part of the future, yet they reveal complex, multi-layered challenges that go beyond technology and include legal, social, and institutional dimensions. The key message of the event was clear: without public trust—in institutions, procedures, and verifiability—digital voting cannot succeed.
Speakers emphasized that digital voting would not replace traditional voting, but rather complement it, allowing each voter to choose the method that suits them best. Such an approach could improve electoral accessibility, especially for younger generations who are accustomed to using personal devices (e.g. mobile phones) for a wide range of everyday tasks, including administrative procedures.
The event featured contributions from Dr. Giovanna Di Minico, Gorazd Božič (SI-CERT), Simon Delakorda, M.A., Dr. Alessia Sciamanna, Dr. Jurij Toplak, Emil Milan Pintar, Dr. Rado Bohinc, and Dr. Ivan Svetlik, who provided insights into security, verifiability, resilience to cyber threats, and the reasons behind public (dis)trust in digital electoral solutions. The event was moderated by the project leader, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Dr. Maja Pucelj, who guided the discussion. Among the key highlights was the warning that in modern incidents and hybrid pressures, the primary goal is often not to “change votes,” but to create doubt about the functioning of the system—which may be sufficient to undermine legitimacy.
The event was simultaneously interpreted into English, Slovenian, Italian, and Arabic, enabling participants to follow the discussions equally and engage actively.
EMUNI will use the insights and discussions from the event as a starting point for the next project activities, while simultaneously preparing policy recommendations and scientific publications, including a monograph and academic articles. The conference also served as a launchpad for broader European cooperation within the DIGIVOTE project, which aims to strengthen trust, transparency, and inclusion in digital voting by combining research, public dialogue, and the co-creation of recommendations with stakeholders.
