Rejection of Digitalization of the Electoral Process in Leading Western Countries (USA, Great Britain, Germany, France)

The subject of this article is the rejection of digitalization in the electoral process within leading Western countries (USA, Great Britain, Germany, France). The text analyzes both the conceptual foundations for implementing electronic voting systems, linked to the “e-government” paradigm, and the national trajectories of their practical implementation and subsequent phase-out. Based on comparative analysis, universal factors for abandoning digitalization are identified: technical vulnerabilities and cybersecurity issues, public distrust, high costs, and incompatibility with fundamental constitutional and legal principles of electoral publicity and verifiability. The author concludes that, despite initial enthusiasm and large-scale experiments, the identified systemic contradictions between digital technologies and the requirements of democratic legitimacy have led to a general trend of restricting or completely prohibiting electronic voting. However, the experience of France and the USA demonstrates the possibility of partially retaining digital technologies for specific voter groups (e.g., diaspora), indicating the potential for a differentiated approach where security and trust are prioritized over technological innovation.