The Council of Europe presented at the Bi-annual review meeting of electronic voting yesterday and today three new documents:

• an E-voting handbook (edited by Susanne Caarls from Council of Europe)
  Order it here
  
• Guidelines on the transparency of e-elections (edited by the member states of the CoE)

  “… These guidelines provide a practical tool to facilitate the implementation of the 2004 Recommendation, especially Recommendations 20 to 23 which invite member states to ensure the transparency of their voting system thereby fostering voters’ and observers’ confidence in the system. The Recommendations propose minimum requirements for the transparency of e-enabled elections of political elections and referendums at all tiers of governance. …” Read it here.

• Guidelines on certification of e-voting systems (edited by the member states of the CoE)

  “…The added value of certification is not only to establish if an e-voting system is in
  compliance with prescribed requirements and standards, it is also an important tool in the
  establishment of trust. Certification can also be helpful in the context of public
  procurement.
  The guidelines are developed for use in political elections and referendums at all tiers of
  governance. They are not intended to prescribe or to impose on any country a particular
  way of certification, but rather to provide member states with a tool to assess the
  requirements for a comprehensive certification process. The goal of this document is to
  support member states to improve their current processes, to exchange best practises and
  to gradually move towards a common framework…” Read it here.

All three documents have been developped within the framework of the Council of Europe review meeting on electronic voting, and as such are not binding but indicative guidelines to the member states of the CoE. Comments are welcome by sending to susanne.caarls@coe.int.