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Parliament has invited the Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) to respond to public comments on the draft bill to amend the electoral laws, including questions on the introduction of electronic voting in South Africa.
The amendment bill proposes a number of changes to the elections in South Africa, including a new addition that will allow the CIS to “prescribe a different form of voting.”
This has been taken to include electronic voting, which the IEC has previously indicated is doing research.
Presentations on the draft amendment bill raised concerns about the security of electronic voting, as well as the additional costs that the system will incur.
Some of the specific concerns raised in the presentations include:
- Electronic voting machines require “such large initial investments in proprietary hardware and software” that the only way to help spread their costs is by giving them “a useful life of 20 to 30 years.” However, “it is almost impossible to prepare decades in advance for potential vulnerabilities, which multiply as technology advances”;
- There is genuine public concern that a change in the prescribed voting method could open the door to voter fraud; in particular, electronic voting is considered more vulnerable to voter fraud than our currently prescribed voting method;
- Questions arise about how electronic voting could be carried out, including the possibility of using a mobile phone number that is registered in the name of a person in the voter registry and that has the RCIA.
Probable pilot project
In July, the IEC said it is considering the introduction of electronic voting in an effort to increase efficiency in the electoral process in South Africa.
Election Director Sy Mamabolo indicated that “electronic voting” was still in the early stages of consideration and would first be tested as part of a pilot project.
“In order to increase efficiency in the electoral process and improve intractable challenges, especially in counting and capturing results, the commission has proposed an electronic voting pilot project,” he said at the time.
“The most important consideration in using technology is reducing election costs and increasing operational efficiency.”
In its invitation to the IEC, the parliament said that there will be a broad consultation on the issue, considering that the country cannot hide from this eventuality “in the context of the Fourth Industrial Revolution.”
“While this is the case, adequate mechanisms must be in place to protect the integrity of any future electronic voting process,” he said.
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