Saskatchewan New Democratic Party Conducts Successful, Audited Election Using Scytl’s Online Voting Solution

46% of all voters cast ballots online during March 9^thSASK NDP election

TORONTO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Scytl’s online voting solution was used successfully by the Saskatchewan New Democratic Party (SASK NDP) during the organization’s March 9^th party leadership elections . The results were independently audited by a third-party auditing firm contracted by the SASK NDP. 46% of the voters cast their ballots online.

During the SASK NDP election, voters had multiple voting options from which to choose. In early February, every SASK NDP member received a ballot package in the mail which provided instructions on how to cast a ballot as well as a postage-paid envelope for those who wished to return their ballots via post. Members were given the option of voting in advance by mail, phone or online from February 4^th through March 5^th. During the Leadership Convention on March 9^th, SASK NDP members were also able to vote in real-time by phone or online. The Convention was broadcast live on the internet to allow members not in attendance on the Convention floor at TCU Place in Saskatoon to watch the proceedings at home and be given instructions on when to cast their next ballot.

Cory Oxelgren, President of the Saskatchewan New Democrats said, “We are encouraged by the high voting turnout by our party members. Voters had the opportunity to cast their ballots through one of three options either during advance voting or through one of two options during Saturday’s Leadership Convention. While almost half of all voters chose to cast their ballots online, we believe that by providing multiple methods of voting from which voters can choose given their particular circumstances, we can continue to increase participation for our party leadership elections in Saskatchewan. The flexibility and ease of the different options for voting facilitated this turnout."

The SASK NDP retained Mintz & Wallace Chartered Accounts, an independent, third-party auditing firm to verify the election results generated by Scytl’s online voting solution.

"We were impressed by the Scytl team of professionals and the online voting process they oversaw from beginning to end,” commented Ian Wallace, a partner from Mintz & Wallace Chartered Accountants LLP. "Our examination revealed a system that ensures accurate results, a rigorous approach to voter and voting system security with documented protocols in place to check the process from start to finish. Scytl program management also considered unanticipated but possible contingencies and took steps to make sure these were never obstacles to a successful vote."

The voting process was very efficient with no delays of any kind during the remote online voting, advance voting and voting on the Convention floor. At the Convention location voters were able to cast their online ballots via kiosks. Voting took less than 30 minutes for all voters to cast their ballots at the Convention for each of the two rounds of balloting. The average time for a voter to cast a ballot was 1.5 minutes.

“The staff at Scytl were incredibly knowledgeable about not just their own software, but also all the unique aspects of doing an election online,” said Craig Ashbourne, Provincial Secretary & CEO, Saskatchewan New Democrats. “Their skill, competence, and professional manner were a wonderful asset throughout our leadership election. Not only did they work closely with us each step of the way, Scytl staff made a point of being physically present for the key checkpoints in the process, including the finalization of the list and mailing of the ballots, and the final week of counting leading up to the day of the vote. That physical presence, combined with their obvious skill and their professional manner was a great asset during the most crucial parts of the race.”

Susan Crutchlow, General Manager of Scytl Canada said, “We had an excellent experience working with the SASK NDP and are very pleased with the performance of our online voting solution, the advanced cryptographic protocols and the risk mitigation strategies our team successfully employed to assist the SASK NDP and their election staff members. The SASK NDP election is the latest in a string of successful – and fully auditable - election events that Scytl has supported our customers in conducting within Canada and around the world.”

About Scytl (www.scytl.com)
Scytl is the global leader in secure election management and electronic voting solutions. Specializing in election modernization technologies, Scytl offers the first end-to-end election management and execution platform, providing the highest security and transparency standards currently available. Scytl has capitalized on its more than years of research to develop election-specific cryptographic security technology protected by more than 40 international patents and patent applications, positioning Scytl as the company with the largest patent portfolio of the industry. Scytl’s solutions have been successfully used in more than 20 countries throughout the world over the last 10 years, including Canada, the United States, Mexico, Ecuador, France, Norway, Switzerland, Bosnia-Herzegovina, the UAE, India and Australia. Scytl is headquartered in Barcelona, Spain with major facilities in Canada, the United States, Peru and Greece as well as field offices in the UK, Ukraine, Malaysia, India and Brazil.