IEC urges South Africans to have their say on e-voting — digital ballots on the horizon?

The Electoral Commission

Cape Town – The Electoral Commission (IEC) has called on South Africans to take part in the ongoing public discussions on the introduction of electronic voting (e-voting).

Chief Electoral Officer Sy Mamabolo addressed the media during the Electoral Commission briefing held on 26 August at Election House, Riverpark Office Park in Centurion.

“The Electoral Commission urges all South Africans to actively participate in the ongoing public consultations on the feasibility and desirability of introducing electronic voting at some point in the future.

“Public consultations are currently taking place across all provinces to ensure and inclusive and wide-ranging engagement on the policy document.

“We invite South Africans to submit their views, proposals, and concerns on this important matter. Submissions should be sent to the email [email protected] by no later than the end of September,” said Mamabolo.

However, Mamabolo said that no decision has been made regarding the introduction of electronic voting, and that physical ballot papers will continue to be used in the upcoming elections, as there is currently no official national policy or legislative framework for electronic voting.

He added that a compilation of all public opinions will be consolidated into a Green Paper, which will then be presented to the Minister of Home Affairs for processing through the relevant constitutional structures.

According to EWN, the EFF argued that the IEC is not ready to transition to a digital voting system, warning that it would compromise both accessibility to voting and the integrity of the electoral process.

However, IEC deputy chief electoral officer Masego Sheburi dismissed the claims, saying that there is no evidence to support the EFF’s arguments about the commission’s readiness.

“We don’t have evidence to suggest that persons who are in rural settings are less inclined to got for e-voting than people in urban centres.

“However, people are worried about the controls that we put in place to ensure that whatever type of e-voting does not accentuate cleavages of inequality in society,” said Sheburi.

Follow African Insider on Facebook, X and Instagram

Picture: X/@IECSouthAfrica

For more African news, visit Africaninsider.com

Compiled by Anda Tolibadi

Article written by