The United States government is investing USD 500,000 in the Central Election Commission (CEC) to implement new electoral technologies during the municipal elections in Bosnia and Herzegovina in October 2024. The ultimate goal is to fully integrate this technology for the general elections in 2026. This initiative falls under the USAID SEI project, which supports electoral integrity in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Courtney Chubb, director of USAID Mission in Bosnia and Herzegovina, highlighted the importance of transparent elections to strengthen the country’s path to EU membership. The pilot project will introduce optical scanners at 145 polling stations in selected municipalities. This technology provided by Smartmatic aims to reduce errors and fraud during vote counting.
This project reflects the advocacy efforts of the Pod Lupom coalition and aims to ensure fair elections in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The coalition president, Dario Jovanović, believes these new technologies will contribute to the fairest elections in the country’s history. USAID SEI is also providing support for strategic planning, capacity building, and voter awareness.