Political Participation and Security Risks of Internet Voting in Ukraine under Martial Law

The article examines internet voting as a potential mechanism for ensuring political participation in Ukraine under martial law. The full-scale war has significantly complicated access to traditional electoral procedures for military personnel, internally displaced persons, citizens abroad, and residents of affected territories, thereby making the search for alternative instruments to preserve the inclusiveness of the electoral process particularly relevant. It is argued that internet voting is capable of reducing spatial and organizational barriers to participation; however, at the same time, it generates serious security risks.

The main threats include the cyber vulnerability of infrastructure, external interference, problems of remote voter identification, risks of violating the secrecy of the vote, and undermining the legitimacy of results. The article demonstrates that, in wartime, trust in digital elections is determined not only by the technological reliability of the system, but also by the institutional resilience of the state and the level of public trust. It is concluded that the possible introduction of internet voting in Ukraine requires a phased approach, proper regulatory framework, a high level of cybersecurity, and preliminary testing.