The Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) is hosting a three-day conference in Cape Town to assess the feasibility of an electronic voting system.
The event features experts from Estonia, Namibia, and the Democratic Republic of Congo—countries that have already implemented e-voting.
Why it matters
E-voting could make elections more accessible, reduce human error, and lower costs. But concerns about security and transparency pose serious challenges to adoption.
Driving the news
- Home affairs minister Leon Schreiber emphasized that digital transformation must improve efficiency, not hinder it. “There is frankly no point in digitizing a process if it is going to be just as slow, inefficient, and insecure as the manual, paper-based process that preceded it,” he said.
- A key concern: South Africa’s manual vote-counting process is highly visible, with party agents monitoring every step. Electronic systems could reduce transparency and make elections vulnerable to hacking or manipulation.
The global picture
- Germany’s constitutional court ruled electronic voting unconstitutional in 2009, citing the need for open scrutiny.
- India has used e-voting since 1989, but critics argue it lacks a verifiable paper trail and is vulnerable to tampering.
- France has cautiously introduced e-voting for expatriates but avoids it for national elections over security fears.
- The Netherlands discontinued e-voting in 2008 after security experts exposed flaws.
The big picture
The IEC hopes that e-voting could boost voter turnout and strengthen democracy. But Schreiber warns that any reforms—digital or otherwise—must enhance public trust.
“Declining voter turnout and increasing radicalism are warning signs that we must do more to protect the credibility of our elections,” he said.
Source: Tech Central
