Use of Electronic Voting System in Japan Drawing More Interest from Local Govts

By Kazuya Okubo / Yomiuri Shimbun Staff Writer

16:48 JST, March 29, 2026

Utilizing an electronic voting system in which voters cast their ballots using digital devices at polling stations is increasingly drawing interest from local governments.

Electronic voting had previously been avoided due to concerns regarding issues with the machines. However, for the first time in eight years, electronic voting machines were used in December 2024 for the mayoral election and the assembly by-election in Shijonawate, Osaka Prefecture. The March 1 assembly by-election in Shintomi, Miyazaki Prefecture, also used an electronic voting system.

No issues were reported in those elections.

A number of local governments have submitted proposals to their assemblies to establish local ordinances to allow electronic voting.

With unified local elections set to take place in the spring 2027, it remains to be seen whether more local governments will utilize electronic voting.

On the evening of March 1, small duralumin containers were brought to a municipal gymnasium from polling stations to count the assembly by-election ballots.

Inside the containers were USB flash drives and SD cards containing voting data from polling stations. After the data was read, vote counting for 3,603 ballots cast using electronic voting was completed in 22 minutes. Including counting handwritten ballots for absentee voting and verifying votes, the overall process for vote counting took 42 minutes, about 40 minutes shorter than usual.

When using an electronic voting system, voters used a tablet to select a candidate. For handwritten ballots, there are cases in which the ballot is hard to read or are invalid. However, such issues do not occur using an electronic voting system.

“After we gain more experience, I think vote counting work will be done more quickly,” a Shintomi city official said.

Guideline revision

Electronic voting has been allowed for local elections since February 2002, following the establishment of a special legislation.

Under the legislation, a local government can introduce electronic voting after it establishes an ordinance to allow it.

Since then, some local governments have utilized electronic voting.

However, an issue arose in an assembly election in Kani, Gifu Prefecture, in 2003, as the vote-counting servers connected to voting terminals overheated so people were not able to cast their votes.

After the Supreme Court ruled that the Kani election results were invalid, local governments became hesitant to use electronic voting.

Twenty-five elections at 10 local governments, including an assembly by-election in Rokunohe, Aomori Prefecture, utilized electronic voting. But after that, there was an eight-year hiatus.

The resumption of electronic voting was promoted after guidelines were revised by the central government in 2020. Prior to the revision, special voting machines were effectively allowed to be used for such reasons as durability and a measure against voter fraud. But with the 2020 revision, the use of tablets became allowed.

According to Kyoto City-based Kyocera Corp., which produces tablets for electronic voting and provided its system for the Shintomi election, its vote-counting server and voting terminals did not connect to the internet. Instead, USB flash drives and other memory devices were used in its voting tablets and were then taken to the vote counting venue.

Kyocera provided assistance for the Shintomi election by holding sessions to help voters get hands-on experience with using the tablet for electronic voting before election day. The company also created a manual for the staff at polling stations and dispatched its employees to the town during the election.

“We will explain to local government officials that there are no technical concerns,” said Kyocera official.

As people who are visually impaired have difficulties using an electronic voting system, the official said the company will explore ways to improve its terminals.

Cost a major issue

While it is necessary to improve the effectiveness and security of electronic voting, the issue of cost needs to be addressed.

In Shijonawate, the mayoral election and assembly by-election in 2020 cost the city about ¥16.6 million, but the 2024 elections cost the city about ¥66.80 million.

In Shintomi, it cost the town ¥8 million to hold previous elections. But with the cost of using the voting tablets, the last election cost the town ¥11.53 million. Some of it will be covered by the government’s tax allocation, but the town has to bear the rest of the cost.

If more local governments utilize electronic voting, the cost would decrease. However, currently, the hurdle is high.