Online voting

Over 6 million Italians abroad await digital voting, South Tyrol announces trial

Two experiments were started in the past, the third will be in South Tyrol in 2028 for the administrative elections

by Letizia Giostra

19 March 2026

3' min read

Translated by AI

Versione italiana

Key points

The 2030 deadline
The point in Italia, what stage have we reached in the regulatory process
South Tyrol's experiments and waiting

3' min read

Translated by AI

Versione italiana

Introduce electronic voting for the more than 6 million Italians living abroad and extend this opportunity to anyone living in Italy with a domicile other than their residence.

With the Constitutional Referendum on Justice coming up on 22 and 23 March, the possibility of being able to vote in the future without moving to one's municipality of residence is once again being discussed.

On this occasion, remember, Italians living outside the country can express their opinion. The same rule does not apply to those who live outside the region. And this is why the topic of digital voting has been relaunched, with the start of a third trial in South Tyrol for the local government elections in 2028.

'As Eligo eVoting,' says the platform, 'we believe that the question is no longer whether digital voting will come to Italia, but how and with what timing. South Tyrol is taking the right approach: a limited experiment, with defined timeframes and dedicated resources. This is how trust is built around complex systems'.

The 2030 deadline

It is rumoured that the debut of e-voting may be the last way forward to counter abstentionism, although this remains one of the many reasons why many wish to adopt the tool in Italia as well.

It is necessary to take a few steps back to understand the process that has started, but is proceeding at a steady pace, starting with the Digital Compass. The strategic plan was presented by the European Commission in March five years ago to ensure the digital transformation of the EU by 2030.

Italia is therefore more than halfway there, and the reasons for the constant stops are to be found in the lack of a legislative framework allowing the use of digital identity. It should be remembered, however, that in Italia it is possible to vote in some contexts, such as universities, but for political elections there is currently no legislation.

The point in Italia, what stage have we reached in the regulatory process

The first steps were taken six years ago, during the Conte II government at the height of the pandemic emergency. In fact, the 2020 Budget Law established the Fund for e-voting, for which €1 million was allocated, giving priority to Italians living abroad.

The following summer, with a decree signed by Ministers Lamorgese and Colao, the guidelines were also established, but nothing has moved since then. There have been two trials and a third has been announced in two years' time.

South Tyrol's experiments and waiting

Ensuring digital voting in view of the upcoming local government elections. This is the challenge launched by Arno Kompatscher, head of the Autonomous Province of Bolzano - South Tyrol. At the provincial council meeting on 6 March, a bill was tabled by the majority in view of the provincial administrative elections in 2028.

The document was signed by the president, who has been in office for two years. A move that with the approaching vote for the next governor, in the event of a re-election, could be a card to play.

This would be the third experimentation of digital voting and would only concern the municipality of Bolzano. There have been two experiments in the past, and the first one started immediately after the drafting of the guidelines five years ago, with an initial test in November for the elections of the COMITES - Committees of Italians Abroad. The vote involved consulates in Berlin, London, The Hague, Houston, Sao Paulo, Tel Aviv and Johannesburg.

The second test was on 13 and 14 December 2023 and was aimed at Italians registered with Aire, but only in certain European constituencies. The capital of the United Kingdom comes back, dragging Stockholm Munich and Charleroi. But even here, beyond the report of the Ministry of the Interior, nothing more. Now it is South Tyrol's turn to lead the experimentation.

"Italia already has the necessary technologies and skills. The real crux remains the definition of a clear and progressive regulatory path. In this sense, initiatives like the one in Alto Adige can represent a first concrete step to overcome the current stalemate,' is Eligo's comment.