IEC discusses feasibility of e-voting

JOHANNESBURG - Some countries that use electronic voting are set to advise the electoral commission on their processes.  

The Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) will be holding a three-day seminar in Cape Town on e-voting on Monday.

The seminar will discuss the possibility of South Africa introducing electronic voting and how to improve its digital devices when it comes to voting.

South Africa's paper-based voting’s main advantage is that paper cannot be hacked.  

The cons are that it takes a long time to tally the votes with high risks of human error and labour intensity.

In last year's general elections, the IEC printed 90 million ballot papers.

READ: IEC exploring possibility of online voting

The IEC's deputy chief electoral officer, Masego Sheburi, said the commission is always looking at ways to make the voting process simpler.  

"With each election, the size of the ballot box increases, it becomes lengthier because of the number of people who make themselves available for elected office, and the complex ballot places some cognitive demands on the voters to find the parties of their choice, make sure they cast their votes correctly and not miscast their vote."

Representatives from Estonia, Namibia and the Democratic Republic of Congo will participate in the IEC's e-voting seminar.  

The three countries employ different forms of electronic voting.