Euroviews. Mobile voting is here and it is transforming democracy

France's snap legislative elections on 30 June and 7 July attracted global attention, as many observers anxiously feared that the ascendant far-right party, National Rally, would achieve a majority in the French legislature — an occurrence without precedent in post-World War II France.

National Rally (RN) ended up underperforming in polls, and a hastily-formed coalition of leftist parties allied with President Emmanuel Macron’s centrist party to secure a parliamentary majority.

Yet despite the less-than-earth-shattering outcome, it was a historic election for another, less publicised reason.

Within just a few weeks, France organised the largest-ever mobile political election. Although online voting was restricted to French citizens living abroad, more than 1.1 million votes were cast entirely online across two rounds of voting, representing 75% of total French votes abroad.

The advantages of mobile voting are clear. Over 90% of Europeans own a smartphone, and mobile voting (sometimes called internet or online voting) offers a significantly easier way to vote.

Citizens can exercise their rights from anywhere through their phones instead of travelling to polling stations and waiting in long lines to physically cast their vote.

Mobile voting can also be conducted on other electronic devices such as a tablet or laptop. In short, mobile voting dramatically increases voting accessibility.

It is often the only realistic voting option for hundreds of thousands of voters, including voters overseas, voters with disabilities, and voters who are otherwise displaced due to schooling or work.

Mobile voting is also extremely popular. In preparation for the snap election, France rapidly set up an extensive network of physical polling