The Independent Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) will host an electronic voting (e-voting) conference in Cape Town, from 10 to 12 March.
Set to be held at the Cape Town International Convention Centre, the e-voting conference forms part of the commission’s efforts to facilitate an informed national dialogue on the feasibility, sustainability and policy implications of electronic voting in the country.
“The conference serves as a significant opportunity for South Africans to initiate robust conversations that will shape the future of voting in the country,” says the IEC.
“As South Africa embarks on this critical discussion about the prospect of electronic voting, it is imperative to thoroughly evaluate and deliberate on the country’s readiness and address the challenges and opportunities for such a voting method.”
Last year, IEC deputy chief electoral officer Mawethu Mosery told ITWeb that SA needs a “huge” dialogue before it can implement electronic voting in future elections.
Electronic voting by country varies and may include voting machines in polling places, centralised tallying of paper ballots and internet voting.
Several countries have experimented with or implemented online voting to varying extents. These include Australia, Estonia, the US, France and Canada.
According to the IEC, the three-day conference will bring together South Africans from all sectors of society, including political leaders, decision-makers, business, civil society and the public.
Furthermore, election management bodies and electoral authorities from countries that have implemented e-voting technologies will present their discoveries and insights.
During the conference, participants will have the opportunity to interact with technology manufacturers at an interactive exhibition, to showcase the capabilities of e-voting systems.
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