When social insurance elections are held in 2023, health insurers will be able to offer eligible voters the chance to cast their vote online. This has been made possible by a Technical Guideline (TR) published by the Federal Office for Information Security (BSI). Technical Guideline TR-03162 lays down security-related requirements for the information technology used in online voting according to Section 194a of Book V of the Social Security Code in conjunction with Section 4 of the Online Voting Regulation (Online-Wahl-Verordnung). Eligible voters in social insurance elections are thereby given the option of casting their vote electronically via the Internet, instead of by post.

The Technical Guideline supplements the current Online Voting Regulation with IT-security requirements that apply to online voting in addition to the general requirements of the Social Insurance Elections Regulation (SVWO). It contains requirements for operating and using applications and IT systems involved in conducting the "Online social elections" model project. Other factors taken into consideration include the set-up of an information security management system (ISMS) and current cryptographic mechanisms used for encryption, electronic signatures and electronic time stamps. The Technical Guideline also stipulates that the BSI IT-Grundschutz shall apply. This is to ensure that the fundamental right to confidentiality and integrity in IT systems, as derived from the basic principles of a ruling made by the Federal Constitutional Court, will be upheld too.

Who is responsible for implementing this Technical Guideline?

The health insurers participating in the model project must implement the Technical Guideline. It has been specifically designed for online social elections and, as such, is only partially suitable to be transferred over to other elections. The BSI will continuously develop the Technical Guideline.