In Estonia, where since 2002 an electronic identification card has been mandatory for all citizens above the age from 15, the success of e-voting in local government council elections last year has spurred the authorities to extend the scheme to the country's upcoming national election.

A member of both the European Union and NATO since 2005, Estonia is the northernmost of the three Baltic states and endured Russian occupation from 1940 till 1991. It is most famous for having been the land where Skype was born and was surprisingly ranked No 8 out of 82 countries in putting the Internet to practical use in a recent World Economic Forum report. (Thanks to Ross Mayfield for that datapoint.)

Although France, the United Kingdom and the United States have all conducted e-voting pilots, experts believe that Estonia may become the first country in the world to carry out Internet voting nationwide in an actual election. Estonia also has the highest rate of public Internet access points (PIAPs) per capita in the world.

• E-Voting Companies Ordered To Submit Source Code
• World's First Cellular Election to Take Place 2011 in Estonia