Civitta | Feasibility Study for Lithuanian iVoting Information System

Client overview:

Central Election Commission of the Republic of Lithuania (CEC/VRK) is a constitutional, independent authority responsible for organizing all national and municipal elections and referendums in Lithuania. In recent years, CEC has been actively pursuing digital transformation.

The digital transformation included electronic voter registers and real-time election reporting, to enhanced cybersecurity and digital participation mechanisms. The feasibility of introducing internet-based remote voting (iVoting) was among the most strategically sensitive and technically complex of these initiatives.

The CEC selected Civitta to lead the study in partnership with e-Governance Academy (eGA), an internationally recognized center of excellence in e-governance, cybersecurity, and digital democracy based in Tallinn.

Civitta led the overall project management, stakeholder engagement, and analytical work, while eGA contributed international expertise and comparative insights from countries that have implemented online voting. While implemented in Lithuania, the study had a global scope – analyzing every country that has tested or deployed internet voting systems, including Estonia, Switzerland, Norway, Canada, New Zealand, and Australia.

The Challenge:

The (CEC) faced a long-standing, politically charged question: Can Lithuania introduce internet voting while preserving the constitutional principles of universal, equal, direct, and secret suffrage?

For more than a decade, the issue divided politicians, experts, and the public. Supporters saw it as a natural step in Lithuania’s digital progress; skeptics feared cybersecurity breaches and public mistrust. Despite growing interest, no comprehensive feasibility assessment had ever been carried out.

The CEC’s primary goal was to commission an independent, evidence-based, and politically neutral study that would:

Assess whether and under what conditions online voting could be safely implemented.
Map all relevant technical, legal, organizational, and social preconditions for such a system.
Propose viable technological and governance models that would balance security, accessibility, and democratic integrity.

In short, Civitta was asked to produce not just a technological evaluation, but a strategic governance analysis capable of informing one of the most sensitive national policy decisions of the decade.

Why was this challenge critical?

Internet voting is not a standard IT project – it lies at the crossroads of law, trust, cybersecurity, and democracy. Any technical or communication failure could damage electoral legitimacy at the highest level. The CEC needed clear evidence on whether the benefits of internet voting could outweigh the technological, legal, and societal risks – and how to manage those risks over time.

The assignment presented a set of unique challenges:

Political sensitivity: The issue had polarized public debate for years, demanding an impartial, fact-based study.
Time constraint: The full feasibility assessment – including consultations, international benchmarking, and risk analysis – had to be delivered within nine months.
Information complexity: More than a dozen public bodies, academic institutions, and NGOs contributed input, each with distinct perspectives and mandates.
Security and trust considerations: Civitta needed to address both technical risks (data integrity, authentication, encryption) and societal ones (coercion, misinformation, digital exclusion).
Legal and constitutional boundaries: Any potential solution had to align with Lithuania’s Constitution and Election Code, ensuring that the secrecy and equality of the vote remained inviolable.

The Governance Context

Unlike most transformation projects, this initiative was not driven by active political will but by an inherited policy commitment – a leftover objective in a multi-year government plan that persisted through political turnover. Civitta’s role extended beyond research: it had to reconstruct the project’s strategic purpose, engage fragmented stakeholders, and create a foundation for rational, evidence-based policymaking.

Our Approach:

Civitta approached the Internet Voting Feasibility Study as a governance and systems challenge, not just a technical one. Every conclusion, whether supportive or cautionary, had to be grounded in evidence, comparative data, and stakeholder consensus.

The project followed three analytical phases in line with the State Information System Lifecycle Methodology and international e-governance standards, ensuring both methodological rigor and political neutrality.

Phase I:

Situational and environmental analysis

The first phase focused on understanding the institutional, legal, and technological landscape for online voting in Lithuania. Key activities included:

Legal and institutional review of the Constitution and Election Code to identify necessary amendments.
System mapping of the existing CEC information system (VRKIS) and data flows.
PESTEL analysis assessing political, social, technological, and legal conditions.
Stakeholder mapping of government, academia, civil society, and potential solution providers.

Phase II:

Alternatives and feasibility analysis

Civitta benchmarked international experience and evaluated the approaches of leading global vendors. Three main implementation models were assessed:

Off-the-shelf solution – adapting an existing platform.
Custom development – building a national system from scratch.
Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) – subscription-based model.

Each option was compared by cost, security, scalability, and legal fit. The team also conducted a long-term (13-year) cost–benefit and cybersecurity analysis. This produced the first data-driven picture of how Lithuania could implement iVoting safely and cost-effectively.

Phase III:

Final report and recommendations

The final phase integrated all insights into a governance and implementation plan. Deliverables included:

A detailed risk matrix (technological, social, political).
A six-year implementation roadmap with preparatory, piloting, and operational stages.
Cost and financing models, including state budget and EU funding options.
Oversight and communication frameworks to ensure transparency and civic trust.

Findings were presented in a comprehensive study (LT & EN) and publicly shared at the Parliament of the Republic of Lithuania.

Results & Impact:

Civitta delivered a comprehensive 218-page feasibility study on the establishment of an Internet Voting Information System (IBIS). The final report – “Internetinio balsavimo informacinės sistemos galimybių studija” – was completed in early 2024 and presented publicly at the Parliament of the Republic of Lithuania.

The study concluded that internet voting in Lithuania is technically and legally feasible, but implementation should be postponed until key social and cybersecurity risks are addressed: Technology, Law and institutions, Economics (Estimated 13-year lifecycle cost – €20.7 million (excl. VAT)., Public trust and International lessions.

Key Takeaways:

Key Takeaways & Lessons

Evidence before ambition: The study confirmed that technological readiness does not equal political readiness. Public trust, digital literacy, and institutional cooperation must come first.
Trust is the real infrastructure: Technology alone cannot sustain democracy—citizen confidence, built through transparency and oversight, is just as vital as cybersecurity.
Neutral coordination matters: Civitta united government, academia, NGOs, and private providers to create a single, credible evidence base on a highly sensitive topic.
Process over opinion: By applying a structured system lifecycle methodology, Civitta ensured decisions were grounded in analysis, not ideology.
Step-by-step resilience: The six-year roadmap prioritizes cybersecurity, legal reform, and civic education before any deployment.

How Civitta Made the Difference

Integrated governance: Combined policy, legal, and cybersecurity expertise in one 360° analysis.
International credibility: Partnered with Estonia’s e-Governance Academy based on proven practice.
Clear public dialogue: Enabled informed parliamentary debate and broad public engagement.
Wide visibility: Generated strong national media coverage across online, TV, and radio.

Relevance for Other Governments

Digital governance reforms (e-ID, e-referendums, e-participation)
Depoliticizing sensitive decisions through evidence-based analysis
Balancing cybersecurity with democratic legitimacy

Feasibility Study for Lithuanian iVoting Information System