Deputy Interior Minister Wiyagus Urges Election Simulation Facility to Become Policy Hub
That was stated during the inauguration of the Digital Election Simulation Lab (DESLab) of the Domestic Policy Strategy Agency (BSKDN) at the BSKDN Command Centre Room of the Ministry of Home Affairs (Kemendagri), Jakarta.
“This means that the BSKDN DESLab must not only become a display room for E-Voting devices, but the BSKDN DESLab must become a space for producing knowledge and policy recommendations,” said Wiyagus, in a written statement, on Thursday (7/5/2026).
Through this facility, Wiyagus hopes that discussions on digital-based election technology will not stop at the conceptual level, but can be studied and tested directly. The laboratory allows government officials, academics, students, civil society organisations, and various stakeholders to simulate the entire E-Voting process comprehensively.
The process includes voter verification, application of the one man one vote principle, vote counting, and audit mechanisms. Wiyagus explained that Indonesia has actually had initial experience in implementing electronic voting.
Based on data from PT Inti Konten Indonesia, the E-Voting system has been used in 1,910 villages across 16 provinces since 2013 without significant issues. This experience is considered an important asset for the Ministry of Home Affairs in mapping the benefits, challenges, and governance of broader E-Voting implementation.
In addition, Wiyagus mentioned that Indonesia needs to learn from the successes of countries like Brazil in accelerating vote recapitulation, Estonia with its internet voting system, and the United States which implements ballot audits. On the other hand, experiences from countries like Germany, the Netherlands, Ireland, and Norway also provide important lessons regarding system security challenges and public trust.
“The experiences of these countries show that E-Voting is not just about speed and efficiency, but must be supported by regulation, security, audits, voter literacy, and strong public trust,” Wiyagus emphasised.
Wiyagus views the presence of DESLab as a strategic step for the Ministry of Home Affairs in facing the challenges of modern government governance that is increasingly influenced by digitalisation issues, artificial intelligence, and cybersecurity. He hopes this facility can strengthen objectivity in assessing policy risks and serve as a learning tool from the planning stage to implementation.
“The BSKDN DESLab is a message that the Ministry of Home Affairs is ready to adapt and prepare relevant domestic government policies with the times,” Wiyagus concluded.