Editing Politics of Estonia (section)

===Elections===

[[File:Preliminary elections in Tallinn.JPG|thumb|Preliminary elections to European parliament in Tallinn.]]
{{main|Elections in Estonia|Electronic voting in Estonia}}
There are four types of public elections in Estonia: local government council elections, state parliament elections, [[European Parliament]] elections and referendums. Referendums can be initiated by the Parliament. The rules of procedure for elections are established in the Municipal Council Election Act, ''Riigikogu'' Election Act, European Parliament Election Act and Referendum Act. Elections are overseen by the National Electoral Committee and managed by the State Electoral Office, county heads of elections and voting district committees. Members of the National Electoral Committee, which is established for a term of four years, are appointed by the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, Chancellor of Justice, Auditor General, Chief Public Prosecutor, State Secretary and Board of Auditors. The State Electoral Office is part of the Chancellery of the ''Riigikogu'' and its members are appointed by the Secretary General of the Parliament. It organises electronic voting and supervises the election managers. County heads of elections manage elections in the county by instructing and supervising voting district committees. They are either the county secretary or someone recommended by the country secretary and appointed by the Head of the State Electoral Office. A voting district committee is formed by the municipal council and comprises at least five members, with half of the members being presented by the municipal secretary and half by participating political parties. The activities of the National Electoral Committee and election managers can be observed by everyone.

Electronic voting was first used in Estonia during the municipal council elections of 2005. Since then the share of people voting electronically has continuously risen. Electronic voting is managed by the State Electoral Office, which establishes the technical requirements and organisation of electronic voting. Voting is based on the [[Estonian ID card]]. Every voter has the right to verify and change their vote electronically. If the voter has also voted with a ballot paper, then only the ballot paper will be taken into account.<ref name=":17"/><ref name=":18"/><ref name=":19"/><ref name=":20"/>

Residents without Estonian citizenship may not elect the [[Riigikogu]]. Residents without citizenship of any European Union member state may not elect the European Parliament. All permanent residents, regardless of citizenship, are eligible to vote in the Estonian municipal elections.<ref name=FIWR>{{cite book |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-tI2NuQLLuYC&pg=PA248 |title= Freedom in the World: The Annual Survey of Political Rights and Civil Liberties |first1=Arch |last1=Puddington |first2=Aili |last2= Piano |first3=Camille |last3= Eiss |first4=Tyler |last4= Roylance |work=Freedom House |year=2007 |publisher= Rowman & Littlefield |isbn=978-0-7425-5897-7 |page=248 |chapter=Estonia }}</ref>