A new electronic route for citizen bills
The National Electoral Chamber approved the creation of a platform allowing citizens to gather electronic signatures in support of legislative projects submitted to Congress. The system will be free of charge, remain under the court's control, and operate alongside the handwritten endorsements used until now for popular initiatives. The measure was decided this Thursday through extraordinary ruling 173. The tribunal, headed by Alberto Ricardo Dalla Via, must still define the operating conditions of a tool available to private individuals, political groups and civil society organizations.[S1][S2]
The digital mechanism does not alter the substantive requirements of a popular initiative, including the number of endorsements needed or the subjects that the Constitution and the law exclude from this procedure. It does enable an electronic channel to register and verify adhesions. Article 39 of the National Constitution, introduced by the 1994 reform, recognizes the right of citizens to present legislative projects before the Chamber of Deputies. The provision states that Congress must give express treatment to those proposals within twelve months of their arrival.[S1][S2]
Law 24.747, enacted in 1996, regulated that right and set the conditions for exercising it. Unlike initiatives promoted by legislators or by the Executive Branch, these projects originate outside state structures and require gathering citizen endorsements before advancing through the parliamentary process. To present a proposal, promoters must obtain signatures equivalent to at least 1.5% of the electoral roll used in the last election of national deputies. The endorsements must also come from a minimum of six electoral districts.[S1][S2]
For initiatives of regional scope, the percentage is calculated only on the rolls of the provinces included in that region. The new platform does not modify those requirements and may complement traditional forms. The legislation excludes projects on constitutional reform, international treaties, taxes, budget and criminal matters from this mechanism. Promoters must also identify those responsible for the initiative, present articles in legislative format, justify the proposal and report expenses and the origin of the resources used.[S1]
Judicial administration and technical safeguards
The ruling was signed by Alberto Ricardo Dalla Via, judges Santiago Hernán Corcuera and Daniel Bejas, together with secretaries Hernán Gonçalves Figueiredo and Sebastián Schimmel. The resolution assigned exclusive administration of the platform to the National Electoral Chamber. The General Coordination Office of Electoral Computer Systems will be responsible for administering, maintaining and operating the service. It must also carry out periodic controls and set technical safeguards to guarantee the identification of signatories, the authenticity of endorsements and the protection of personal data.[S1][S2]
Those wishing to use the platform must first request authorization from that office. The procedure will have no cost. The resolution has not yet set a date for the public opening of the system nor detailed the steps each citizen must complete to issue an endorsement. The court considered that electronic signatures may back popular initiatives if they meet the required technical conditions. The decision relies on Law 25.506 on Digital Signature and on judicial precedents regarding the legal effectiveness of electronic forms of documentary subscription.[S1][S2]
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The ruling distinguished digital signature from electronic signature, though it held that the latter can be equated to a handwritten rubric when it offers guarantees of authenticity, integrity and non-repudiation. The magistrates cited commercial and civil rulings to extend those criteria to the electoral field, under the corresponding security and verification conditions.[S1][S2]
Pilot test and international precedents
The decision was based, among other elements, on a pilot experience authorized by the Chamber on May 21, 2026. On that occasion, the tribunal enabled a platform proposed by a non-governmental organization to complement the collection of endorsements in popular initiatives. Subsequent verifications concluded that technical conditions existed to link each signatory univocally with the document they supported. Procedures to authenticate endorsements, identify users and preserve their personal information were also evaluated.[S1][S2]
Based on those results, the Chamber decided to move forward with a tool of general scope that will be administered directly by the Electoral Justice and may be used in different citizen proposals. The resolution also mentioned experiences in Germany, Spain, Estonia, Finland and Latvia with electronic modalities for gathering citizen support. According to the tribunal, those systems offer favorable precedents in participation, traceability and identity validation.[S1]
Judicial verification remains in place
Digitalization will not replace the institutional review provided by Law 24.747. The norm states that the Electoral Justice must verify endorsements through a sampling procedure, with a maximum period of twenty days that can be extended through a founded resolution. That control will determine whether each initiative met the legal conditions to be presented. The platform aims to facilitate the reception and checking of endorsements, but does not modify judicial intervention or the subsequent legislative process.[S1][S2]
Once the requirements are verified, the projects will enter the Chamber of Deputies of the Nation for parliamentary treatment. The obligation c…[S1]
