HSRC: 'Without public confidence, even the most secure e-voting system will fail'

CAPE TOWN - Trust and integrity of the electoral system have been highlighted as among key factors that will shape the country’s readiness to adopt electronic voting at a conference currently underway in Cape Town.

The Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC) said that if public confidence in the current system was low, it would make it harder to get voters to back e-voting.

IEC chairperson Mosotho Moepya said any decision to make the move should not exclude any sectors of society because of the socio-economic circumstances.

The Electoral Commission said that developing the discussion on e-voting was not a reaction to the fallout from last year’s polls when some political parties questioned the integrity of the process.

The Human Sciences Research Council's Odilile Ayodele, however, said that research conducted over the last two years had highlighted the impact of perceptions and attitudes on trust in the electoral system.

"Without public confidence, even the most secure e-voting system will fail. Trust requires both technical security and perceived reliability."

Moepya said that upcoming elections would be important for the confidence-building exercise.

"An election not only deals with reality. A lot of it must address perception as well. Because trust is a currency in the work we do as the IEC."

No timelines have been set for a shift to e-voting and Moepya said the transition can’t be made just for the sake of it.