South Africa is preparing for local elections in the deadly wave of Covid-19, so it’s important to explore the possibility of using technology to drive elections.
However, elections in the Covid-19 pandemic present unique challenges. The reality imposed by Covid-19 is testing democratic infrastructure around the world and is a credible election to gain effective governance legitimacy while containing a catastrophic public health crisis. We demand that countries balance their needs.
Covid-19 is an infectious disease that is widespread in crowded areas and near humans, and is gaining support for digitization in most aspects of normal life activities, including elections. Digitizing elections is a necessary and effective way to balance public health concerns with credible elections.
The argument that technology can improve election credibility is not new, but pandemics are gaining new attention and popularity in democratic spaces. Electronic voting systems limit crowd contact with humans, thereby allowing voters to exercise their rights and citizens’ obligations with relatively low health risks.
Technology benefits
South Africa is one of Africa’s top countries in the use of technology.
The presence of Internet fiber optic cables abroad and the proliferation of mobile and wireless technologies offer many opportunities for digitalization and pave the way for facilitating electronic voting.
Mobile phone ownership and usage are pervasive in rural areas. When Covid-19 becomes a reality that may be with us for some time, technology will benefit from coordinating regular elections. The Covid-19 pandemic is the impetus for experimenting with electronic voting, a tool that has been shown to be useful in the long run to contain the immediate epidemic of Covid-19 and ensure election integrity. To more countries.
The Independent Election Commission (IEC) will launch a revamped public website and app to improve navigation and communication, as well as a public reporting app for disinformation on social media, in preparation for the next election. .. Therefore, this article provides insights into the successes and challenges associated with using technology in elections.
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Some of the benefits of electronic voting within Covid-19 include the ability to enhance voter registration by eliminating issues related to manual election management. In addition, in an era of health pandemics like Covid-19, electronic voting involves the participation of all citizens, including vulnerable citizens such as the elderly who are afraid to go out and vote physically when exposed to the virus. Promote.
In addition, electronic voting promotes transparency through real-time streaming of results from various counting centers, thereby reducing anxiety about anomalies associated with human or system errors such as multiple votes. In addition, all election stakeholders can receive information consistently and interpret preliminary results, voting patterns, and new trends in election regions and political parties with minimal difficulty, thus scrutinizing elections. You can track it. However, there are challenges with electronic voting. For example, it can be abused to manipulate or undermine elections, creating unfair benefits, especially for incumbents.
Technology cost
In addition, technical glitches can undermine a voter’s confidence in the process and discourage voters from actively participating in such a process. In addition, the cost of technology can be exorbitant, which is a major concern for the IEC in terms of affordability.
Balancing the benefits and concerns of electronic voting systems is a challenge facing IEC and policy makers.
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Corruption, the determination to win elections, geopolitical interests, and the crossroads of commercial foreign companies with no social interests in the country are deadly combinations for the completeness of elections in SA. Elections are the center of democracy. Throughout the elections, the leadership needed to defend policies and plans for improving national and international status will be adopted.
As Covid-19 disturbs the world, unknowingly strengthens its dictatorship and brings new elements of inequality, South Africa needs to do its best to survive and prosper through the next election. Technology can be a weapon and shield, a powerful enabler, and a devastating agent. If the introduction of an electronic voting system leaves the underlying structural problems unsolved, there is a risk of exacerbating the democratic return that is widespread throughout the SA.
Proper preparation
Issues such as rebuilding social cohesion, cultural reforms about the implications of seizing power, home-made technical solutions, and legal and regulatory frameworks need to be addressed before deployment. Technology cans are not “morally neutral good.” Technology and elections can be as good as the society in which it is deployed and planned, as its deployment only reflects the intent and value of its manufacturers and users.
Care must be taken to ensure proper preparation. The IEC must work with other stakeholders, including civil society, to lay the foundation for credible elections. Adopting an electronic voting system is one thing. Ensuring the integrity and credibility of elections is another thing.
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Source link The role of voting technology in strengthening South Africa’s democracy
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