Adopting a digital voting system for the national general elections is being explored by Government.
In Parliament this week, Justice Minister Siromi Turaga presented the idea while highlighted a presentation by Japan’s Coursera Corporation during his visit to Tokyo earlier this year.
“As Fiji continues to modernise its institutions, the potential for digital innovation to enhance transparency, participation and efficiency within our electoral process must be seriously explored,” he said.
“The Coursera digital voting system represents a secure, accessible and technological robust solution, designed to streamline the electoral process, from voter registrations through to final tabulation of results.”
He said the system featured biometric verification for all eligible voters, encrypted end-to-end voting systems that safeguard data integrity, real time results transmission to improve transparency and reduce administrative delays and remote voting capabilities for citizens residing abroad or in remote locations.
“Coursera had tested their new platform in December 2024 for a local city election.
“The digital voting was successful without incident and demonstrated promising outcomes in terms of both the voter turnout and result accuracy within one hour of the close of election.”
Mr Turaga said the system represented another step towards a stronger more inclusive and technologically equipped Fiji.
“Fiji stands to gain substantially from such a system, particularly as we strive to modernise the electoral infrastructure and promote inclusive democratic participation.
“As a government committed to digital transformation, I believe that the presentation by Coursera was both timely and relevant.
“I will be holding discussions with the Fijian Elections Office, Ministry of Local Government, Ministry of Communication and other key stakeholders to initiate a feasibility assessment of the digital voting technologies suitable for our context.”
He added digital voting was not about replacing democracy but about strengthening it.
“It is about ensuring that every eligible Fijian has the opportunity to participate in shaping our future, no matter where they live or what barriers they may face.”
