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Colombia is finally entering the era of digitization in terms of identity. There will be an electronic card “that will make life easier” for all citizens, for any type of procedure, including, of course, the exercise of the right to vote, to which a major transformation is also applied.
The new electronic card will begin to be delivered from November to a little more than 40 million adults in the country.
(In context: What advantages would the new electronic card have?)
The national registrar of marital status, Alexánder Vega, explains in the following interview what the digital ID will be like and what will happen to the current ID.
All these reforms are contained in the draft reform to the Electoral Code, which dates from the time of the national front. The project has the support of the Government, the courts, the Electoral Council and was consulted with the parties.
What are the characteristics of the new electronic card?
The new electronic card will be at the highest level of security regarding identification documents in the world. It will be produced with the latest technology materials and processes, which will facilitate access to procedures and services before public and private entities in a digital or virtual way, thus allowing biometric authentication. In addition, the Colombian can enable the digital ID on his mobile phone, which will have the same validity as the physical document.
(Also: This would be the new digital ID prepared by the Registrar’s Office)
Does the current card run out, does it wither?
No. The current ID will continue to be valid, but whoever wishes to have the electronic ID may request it from the Registrar’s Office.
How is it managed?
It can be managed through the duplicate process and through the different channels that the entity has.
What are the advantages of the new document?
The advantages are multiple, including greater security, biometric identification and authentication, remote identification in procedures and digital services. Something very important is that it prevents identity theft, guarantees the protection of personal data and generates trust in the services offered by public and private entities; It is the access key to the citizen folder.
(Also read: What are the changes in the elections in Colombia?)
The current ID will continue in force, but whoever wishes to have the electronic ID may request it from the Registrar’s Office
What is the citizen folder?
The citizen folder is a project led by the Ministry of ICT, which defines it as a document hosting service on the internet for natural and legal persons. This tool will facilitate the exchange of documents between public entities, it will offer technological benefits and modernization in the processes of public administration and in the service to the citizen.
Folder and electronic card are different things?
They are different things that complement each other. The electronic card is an identification document that will facilitate access to digital procedures and services, among which is the citizen folder.
Will the use of the electronic card be mandatory?
It will not be mandatory. It will be issued only to the citizen who wants.
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Can a person carry both IDs?
Yes. You have to remember that identification is only one; the possibilities regarding the use of the document is what evolves. Those who have it will be able to carry out non-face-to-face and face-to-face transactions in an agile and reliable way.
Since when can it be obtained?
At the end of the semester, the issuance of the new electronic card begins.
Will it have any cost?
The Colombian will pay the same value of the duplicate of his identity card.
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Are public and private organizations obliged to accept the new ID?
Yes. The two documents are valid to carry out procedures and services.
How many citizens does the country have?
Taking into account that citizenship is acquired at 18 years of age, there are currently 40,707,771 Colombians in our databases with a valid citizenship card.
How will the new ID be used on Election Day?
The citizen will identify himself biometrically to exercise his right to vote at the polling station, while the digital ID would be used to identify and authenticate the voter in the remote electronic voting model.
Will the person who wishes to vote manually be able to do so?
Yes. The draft code maintains traditional manual voting, because the country’s political culture warrants it. Furthermore, it is necessary to take into account the levels of connectivity, especially in rural areas; so that the implementation of voting technologies will be done progressively, but with the coexistence of manual voting in those areas that need it.
I did not understand him. Let me explain: will the use of the electronic card to vote be mandatory?
It will depend on the form of voting. In the in-person voting, the identification will be done with biometrics and physical or digital identification; In remote voting, the identification and authentication of the citizen is necessarily with the digital ID.
And how will voting stations be done to digitize manual voting?
When the citizen votes at a table with traditional voting, that is, with a manual electoral card, the count is also carried out in the traditional way. In the case of mixed electronic voting, the voting machine throws a receipt that the citizen deposits in a ballot box. In other words, in the strict sense, there is no digitization of the vote, what the counting software does is to count the electronic votes registered by the machine.
How will manual voting be accounted for electronically?
The vote that is counted electronically is the one that is cast by machine. This will be done through scrutiny ‘software’, which will have all cybersecurity measures and blockchain technology. In addition, it will release the minutes with the partial and final results. Manual voting will continue to be scrutinized in the traditional way, that is, manual counting by the juries and the scrutinizing commissions. Progressivity requires the concurrence of the two systems and the Registrar’s Office is preparing to face this challenge.
How is the modification of the Code on remote electronic voting?
One of the models that the project brings is remote electronic voting, or digital voting, which is cast outside a voting station. With this new model, citizens will be able to vote from their cell phone, their computer or their tablet, or the technological means that is available for each era. This is already happening in Estonia and in some states of the United States, with all the security measures. The proposal is that citizens become familiar with electronic voting, as they have already been doing with digital banking transactions and other procedures in the public and private sectors.
In the explanation of the reasons for the project, it is stated that null votes will disappear … How so, if manual voting is maintained?
In the mixed and remote electronic voting models, the null vote disappears because the system offers the voter the possibility of verifying their selection and correcting it, if they wish, before voting. However, manual voting will always be susceptible to voter errors and, therefore, invalid votes can be generated in this mode. That is why it is so important to carry out awareness campaigns and promotion of technologies so that citizens trust in the new options and use them.
It seems to me that the confusion originates in the expression ‘mixed electronic voting’… What does it mean?
The mixed electronic vote is the one that the citizen emits in a machine that shows him all the options and that, in addition, has the necessary programs to carry out the scrutiny and produce the results. It is mixed because the system guarantees delivery to the voter of a printed receipt, which is then deposited in a ballot box.
And how will the so-called vote toss be controlled?
The irregular registration of ID cards, known as ‘electoral transhumance’, consists of registering the ID in a place other than where one lives and is fighting head-on in the project. To achieve this, in the first place, the registration period for cédulas is eliminated so that citizens can update their polling place at any time, and so that the National Electoral Council can control the veracity of those registrations permanently, from of the alerts reported by the Registrar. In this way, it is guaranteed that the citizen votes where it really belongs.
Can you only vote in your place of residence?
The project replaces the concept of electoral residence with that of electoral domicile, so that citizens can vote only in their permanent seat. When the citizen has several addresses, he is obliged to choose just one to vote.
The Code establishes that it is possible to vote early, how?
Yes. The draft code brings this possibility as an alternative to facilitate the participation of those who, for various reasons, cannot vote on election day. You can vote 8 days before the official day of the elections, during one day, at the offices of the Registrar and with the collaboration of notaries.
How do you prove that you cannot vote on Election Day?
The Code does not require such a test. It is enough with the manifestation of the citizen, because the purpose is to facilitate the exercise of the vote and reduce abstention.
But will it be electronic voting?
It may be electronic voting, but progressively, as we will do with all the models proposed by the Code.
That early voting, if it’s manual, doesn’t it open a door for fraud?
This early vote is expected to be entered in a secure deposit that will be kept closed and will be guarded by the Electoral Organization, with the harmonious collaboration of notaries, to avoid any type of manipulation or fraud before the general scrutiny is carried out.
Will the voting hours continue at 8 hours?
No. You can vote from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm
What are the new incentives to vote?
The bill increases compensatory rest to one full day for workers who exercise the right to vote. This day can be accumulated with the vacation period or with holidays. The 10 percent discount on tuition for students is maintained, and benefits are strengthened for young people who perform compulsory military service.
What does the new Code contemplate for those who live abroad?
The great novelty for these Colombians is the possibility of exercising their right to vote remotely, avoiding travel to consulates or embassies, which in many cases are in a city other than where the person lives. The day of elections abroad is also reduced from 8 to 2 days, to facilitate the function of juries to those who are designated as such and that they do not cross their activities.
Will all the reforms be in effect for the elections of the year 22?
We hope that the process in Congress will be expeditious due to the agreement that has been achieved so far with all the political actors and institutions. We also depend on the timing of the Constitutional Court to carry out the prior control of the statutory law. In any case, we hope that these norms are in force in the elections to be held in 2022 to choose the Congress of the Republic and the next Colombian president.
YAMID AMAT
SPECIAL FOR THE WEATHER
