Prior to his talk, IEC CEO, Sy Mamabolo set the scene explaining that currently the world has a handful of countries that have adopted or experimented with electronic voting systems for elections or referendums.

“Countries such as Estonia, Switzerland, Brazil, India and several of the states in the United States of America, to mention just a few, are spearheading e-voting technologies.

“We have seen other countries that have experimented with electronic voting technologies before deciding to pause or even abandon the experiment after a variety of concerns, including security-related issues, were raised,” Mamabolo said.

“In Africa, several countries including Namibia and the Democratic Republic of Congo have attempted to experiment with electronic voting systems for their elections. Although in Namibia this was attempted, it was subsequently abandoned.

“Nonetheless, these systems are still developing and not yet widespread across the continent. From what we observe, some of the common delays or factors halting the implementation of e-voting in many countries, are largely related to security concerns and affordability.”

Dlamini elaborated saying that when looking at what the global implementation, it shows that there are countries with successes and failures.

Brazil saw success with large-scale deployment, India saw success with massive implementation, and Estonia found success as a pioneer in internet voting.

Countries with challenges included the DRC which had voter trust issues, Ireland faced legal challenges, Netherlands faced issues of cybersecurity concerns, and Germany had challenges of system reliability.

“Brazil has successfully deployed e-Voting across its vast geographical expanse, enhancing voter participation and reducing electoral fraud. The system allows for efficient ballot counting and quick results, improving public confidence in the elections,” Dlamini explained.

“India has implemented e-voting on a massive scale, utilizing e-voting machines (EVMs) to streamline the voting process. This initiative has increased accessibility and reduced the time taken for ballot counting, providing valuable lessons for South Africa.

“Estonia is a pioneer in internet voting, allowing citizens to vote online from anywhere. This model has successfully increased voter turnout and engagement, demonstrating the potential of e-voting in addressing traditional voting challenges,” Dlamini explained.

He did also make sure to explain that while the aforementioned countries saw successes, they did face challenges in implementing e-voting.

Dlamini said that while the HSRC report has recommendations in the policy discussion document, he stressed that the conversation is still continuing, and that the document is only starting the discussion on whether e-Voting is viable.

He said it is not on the HSRC to take a side on the matter, but only to present the recommendations and information to the IEC.

theolin.tembo@inl.co.za