[By NBC-1TV H. J Yook]Technology is revolutionising how elections are run,” said Matt Gokhool, Chief Executive of the International Centre for Parliamentary Studies (ICPS) and Chairman of the International Centre for Electoral Psychology (ICEP) during the 4th Annual Meeting of Election Management Bodies.

The event, hosted by Georgia’s Central Election Commission and organized by the ICPS, gathered electoral authorities, experts, ONGs and technology and service providers on February 24~26th.

Under the theme "Stakeholders Engagement and Effective Communication” participants shared experiences and discussed strategies to advance best practices in election administration.

Commenting on the importance of this event, Matt Gokhool said: “During the last decade, information and communication technologies have revolutionised how elections are run. From engaging voters through effective communication, to voting and result transmission, technology is opening doors to electoral efficiency. Bringing together so many distinguished stakeholders in one place is a priceless opportunity for all those involved in this sector.”

Smartmatic, the world’s leading provider of voting technology and services, also shared its expertise with all the invitees.

Matthijs Schippers, VP of Sales for Western and Northern Europe for Smartmatic presented “A Bird’s Eye View on E-voting in Europe”, a comprehensive explanation of where Europe stands today in terms of e-voting adoption and where it is heading.

“Experience has taught all of us working in the industry that successfully implementing e-voting requires more than finding the right technology. Project management capabilities, proper stakeholder engagement and clear public communication campaigns are also key to improve election administration through technology,” said Schippers.

In another speech titled “Enhancing Transparency and Equality of the Electoral Process”, Edgar Fino, Worldwide Business Support Manager, shared success stories Smartmatic has had in Bolivia, Zambia, and Venezuela.