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Electronic Voting is the Future

Electronic Voting is the Future

The process of voting across Africa in countries facing civil war, poor governance and dictatorships has been marred by violence and corruption. In an attempt to secure the safety of civilians and to rid the voting process of manipulation, a mass drive has begun to replace the traditional ballot procedure with electronic voting (e-voting)…

The process of voting across Africa in countries facing civil war, poor governance and dictatorships has been marred by violence and corruption. In an attempt to secure the safety of civilians and to rid the voting process of manipulation, a mass drive has begun to replace the traditional ballot procedure with electronic voting (e-voting).

Durban University of Technology’s Colin Thakur, who is also Chairperson of the Computer Society and an expert on e-voting, recently chaired the Electronic Governance and Electronic Voting Conference in Accra, Ghana. The conference formed part of the multi-national Africa Digital Week, which hosted related debates, discussions, media interviews with government officials, academics and civil society. Thakur’s visit also focused on reviewing Ghana’s e-voting plan in the hopes of avoiding election atrocities experienced by Nigeria, Sudan and Zimbabwe.

He believes the introduction of e-voting will aid African countries in establishing a democracy, through legitimate means. During most elections, political tensions are heightened as opposition parties are aware that the ballot system can easily be manipulated, which has led to thousands of people being massacred and others displaced in refugee camps. However, with e-voting political parties have accepted results as they are processed fast, they are accurate and the manipulation of the system is much more difficult. E-voting also allows for frequent consultations or referendums but requires contingency measures in cases of technological failure.

Thakur is first to admit that e-voting has its shortcomings. The system can be hacked into and ballot records can be tampered with. However, the positive outcomes of the system far outweigh the negative. E-voting is cost effective and faster in comparison to the costs involved in ballot production, transportation and secure storage.

He said: “E-voting is green, requiring no paper. As the world faces global warming, more countries like India have opted for e-voting saving them money and sustaining the environment. In 1996 around 617 million citizens voted in India, the ballot system used 8 million kilograms of paper. Since then, India’s elections have been fully electronic, aiding illiterate people in a multi-lingual environment. It has really accelerated the electoral process.”

Thakur explained that historically colonised countries experience numerous problems during elections which hamper strides to establish a democracy. “Colonisation resulted in people of different African clans being divided by boundary lines, this has created much confusion between Ghanaians and the Togolese who share clans. This has led to Togolese people wanting to vote in Ghana’s elections and vice versa. Thus the introduction of a biometric system will ensure that legitimate citizens vote,” he said.

For more information, please contact:

Colin Thakur
Durban University of Technology
Head: Enterprise Development Unit
031 373 6991
083 787 6991

thakur@dut.ac.za

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