A variety of messages are currently circulating on social media claiming that the European elections in Belgium on 9 June will not be fair. These include hundreds of posts saying that ‘elections are unnecessary’ or ‘everything has already been decided’ claiming ballot papers have already been forged.
The Belgian interior ministry is keen to crush these claims. "A whole preparation process precedes the elections to prevent fraud", Koen Schuyten reassures. Voting computers are tested several times. "By the way, these computers are connected to the internet at no time and do not contain a hard disk. As a result hacking or installing a virus is not possible.’
In digital polling stations, it is not computers but the USB sticks that matter. "After voting on a computer, a paper ticket with a code is printed. You scan that code at the ballot box, and so your choice of vote is registered. You then deposit the paper ticket in the ballot box so that there is also a paper backup." After the elections, the USB sticks go to local headquarters in a sealed envelope, where they are read.
Measures necessary to protect paper ballots are also in place. "Ballot papers are printed on special paper with a watermark. The ballot papers go directly from the printer to the polling stations in sealed boxes, and then, again sealed, are sent directly counting stations."