The adoption of digital technology for South Africa’s 2021 municipal elections, and prospects for the future
Main Article Content
Keywords
municipal elections, digital technologies, web 2.0, voter management devices (VMDs), e-voting, positive will
Abstract
This article / study reflects on the digital technologies and online processes adopted for conducting South Africa’s 2021 municipal elections, and the degree to which this encourages the future use of additional digital technologies. It utilises theoretical perceptions of politics and technology to analyse the perspectives of politicians, IEC officials and voters. It discusses the Independent Electoral Commission’s (IEC) use of voter management devices (VMDs) and online voter facilities, which resolved the perennial challenge of double voting. It shows that, due to COVID-19, voter apathy and possibly manual voting, the voter turnout was low. It argues that technological progress made during the 2021 municipal elections should be used to suppress fears over the consequences of electronic voting. Limited access to the internet and electricity blackouts continue to limit the use of digital technology and online process in managing South African elections. However, the IEC could adopt parallel e-voting and manual voting processes, as it did successfully for voter registration during the 2021 municipal elections.
Article Metrics Graph
References
Achieng, M and E Ruhode. 2013. ‘The Adoption and Challenges of Electronic Voting Technologies within the South African Context’. International Journal of Managing Information Technology (IJMIT), 5 (4):1-12. https://doi.org/10.5121/ijmit.2013.5401
Alam, M and M U Bokhari. 2007. Information security policy architecture. In: ICCIMA’07: proceedings of the international conference on computational intelligence and multimedia applications (ICCIMA 2007), IEEE Computer Society, pp. 120–122. https://doi.org/10.1109/ICCIMA.2007.275
Castells, M. 2004. The Information Age: Economy, Society and Culture. Volume II: The Power of Identity. Blackwell: Malden.
CBinsights. 2019. ‘Blockchain Election Security’. 10 June 2021. At https://www.cbinsights.com/
Dahl, R. 1989. Democracy and its Critics. New Haven: Yale University Press.
Debrah, E J and Owusu-Mensah, I. 2018. ‘Does the Use of a Biometric System Guarantee an Acceptable Election’s Outcome? Evidence from Ghana’s 2012 Election’. African Studies 28 (3):1–23. https://doi.org/10.1080/00020184.2018.1519335
DeKlerk, A. 2021. ‘SA is not ready for electronic voting’, 14 October 14, 2021.
Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC). 2009. Electoral Commission Report 2009. 12 August 2021.
Electoral Institute for Sustainable Democrcy in Africa (EISA). 2009. EISA Interim statement: Eisa observer mission to the 2009 South Africa national &Provincial elections. 1 October 2021. At www.eisa.org.za/
____. 2019. Election Observer Mission to the 2019 National and Provincial Elections in South Africa. 30 November, 2021. www.eisa.org.za/
Electoral Commission of Namibia (ECN). 2014. Post-Election Report. 10 January 2022. At https://www.ecn.na/
Ellul, J. 1990. The Technological Bluff. Eerdmans: Grand Rapids.
Fokane, T. 2021. 2021. South Africa’s Parliament Rejects Plan to Introduce e-Voting. 16 November. At www/cipesa.org/
Garson, G D. 2006. Public Information Technology and E-Governance: Managing the Virtual State. Sudbury, MA: Jones & Bartlett.
Hill, K A and J E Hughes. 1999. ‘Is the internet an instrument of global democratisation?’ Democratisation 6 (2): 99–127. https://doi.org/10.1080/13510349908403613
Hoff, J. 2000. ‘Technology and social change: The path between technological determinism, social constructivism and new institutionalism’. In J Hoff, I Horrocks & P Tops (eds), Democratic Governance and New Technology: Technologically Mediated Innovations in Political Practice in Western Europe. London: Routledge.
Human Science Research Council. 2021. Title missing title missing**. 17 December. At http://www.hsrc.ac.za/en/news/dces/Local_elections_disillusionment.
Jain, A K, A Ross and S Prabhakar. 2004. An introduction to biometric recognition’: IEEE Transactions on Circuits and Systems for Video Technology, 14 (1):4–20.** https://doi.org/10.1109/TCSVT.2003.818349
Joerges, B. 1999. ‘Do politics have artefacts?’ Social Studies of Science, 29 (3):411–431. https://doi.org/10.1177/030631299029003004
Kedzie, C R. 1997. Communication and Democracy: Coincident Revolutions and the Emergent Dictator’s Dilemma. RAND: Santa Monica
Lee, Y O. 2009. ‘Internet election 2.0? Culture, institutions, and technology in the Korean presidential elections of 2002 and 2007’. Journal of Information Technology & Politics, 6: 312–325. https://doi.org/10.1080/19331680903050085
Mathe, L. 2020. ‘The Challenges and Opportunities of a Web 2.0 Election: The Case of Zimbabwe’. Journal of African Elections, 19(2):125-145. https://doi.org/10.20940/JAE/2020/v19i2a7
Mathe, L & M Caldwell. 2017. ‘A Content Analysis of Readers’ Comments on Political and Economic News Articles from Zimbabwe Online Media’. KRE Journal of Communication, 8 (1): 56–68. https://doi.org/10.1080/0976691X.2017.1305684
Mathe, L. 2021a. ‘Party nominee or independent candidate? Examining electoral reforms and use of digital technologies for voter participation in South Africa’. Journal of African Elections, 20 (2),120-140 JAE20.2Mathe.pdf (eisa.org). https://doi.org/10.20940/JAE/2021/v20i2a7
Mathe, L. 2021b. ‘Imagining the Diaspora Vote from Zimbabweans Abroad: Electronic Voting or Postal Voting? International journal of Innovation, Creativity and Change, 5(3):303-320 . 15324 Mathe 2021 E1.docx (ijicc.net)
Mozaffar, S and A Schedler. 2002. ‘The comparative study of electoral governance – Introduction’. International Political Science Review, 23 (1): 5–27. https://doi.org/10.1177/0192512102023001001
Mutsvairo, B & B Karam. 2018. Perspectives on Political communication in Africa. London: Palgrave Macmillan. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-62057-2
Nwagwu, E J. 2016. Information and Communication Technology and Administration of 2015 General Election in Nigeria. Mediterranean Journal of Social Sciences 7(4). https://doi.org/10.5901/mjss.2016.v7n4p303
Ott, D and M Rosser. 2000. ‘The electronic republic? The role of the internet in promoting democracy in Africa’. Democratisation, 7(1): 137–156. https://doi.org/10.1080/13510340008403649
Parliament of the Republic of South Africa. 2020. ‘Home Affairs Committee Calls for Reconsideration of Clause 14 and 21 of Electoral Laws Amendment Bill’. 10 January.
______. 2021. ‘Home Affairs Committee Adopts Electoral Laws Amendment Bill’. 13 November.
Parliamentary Monitoring Group (PMG). 2021. Report of the Portfolio Committee on Home Affairs on the Electoral Laws Amendment Bil., dated 1 December 2020. 18 December.
Power, M, S Khumalo and W Trott. 2021. Democracy 2.0: Digital voting systems. ALT Advisory, Public Interest Advistory Service. 15 October.
Racsko, P. 2019. ‘Blockchain and Democracy’. Society and Economy, 41(3),353-369. https://doi.org/10.1556/204.2019.007
Rhodes, K. A. 2003. Information Security: Challenges in Using Biometrics. US General Accounting Office.
Schaffer, F.C. 2002. ‘Might cleaning up elections keep people away from the polls? historical and comparative perspectives’. International Political Science Review, 23(1): 69–84. https://doi.org/10.1177/0192512102023001004
Schulz-Herzenberg, C. 2019. ‘The Decline of Partisan Voting and the Rise in Electoral Uncertainty in South Africa’s 2019 General Elections’. Politikon, 46 (4):462–480. https://doi.org/10.1080/02589346.2019.1686235
Wayman, J. 2000. A Definition of Biometrics National Biometric Test Center Collected Works 1997–2000. San Jose State University: San Jose Calif.
Winner, L. 1986. The Whale and the Reactor: A Search for Limits in an Age of High Technology. University of Chicago Press: Chicago.
Xenakis, A and Macintosh, A. 2008. ‘A framework for the analysis of procedural security of the e-electoral process’. International Journal of Public Administration 31:711–729. https://doi.org/10.1080/01900690701690759
Zdnet. 2018. ‘South Korea to Develop Blockchain Voting System’. 11 December. At https://www.zdnet.com/
Alam, M and M U Bokhari. 2007. Information security policy architecture. In: ICCIMA’07: proceedings of the international conference on computational intelligence and multimedia applications (ICCIMA 2007), IEEE Computer Society, pp. 120–122. https://doi.org/10.1109/ICCIMA.2007.275
Castells, M. 2004. The Information Age: Economy, Society and Culture. Volume II: The Power of Identity. Blackwell: Malden.
CBinsights. 2019. ‘Blockchain Election Security’. 10 June 2021. At https://www.cbinsights.com/
Dahl, R. 1989. Democracy and its Critics. New Haven: Yale University Press.
Debrah, E J and Owusu-Mensah, I. 2018. ‘Does the Use of a Biometric System Guarantee an Acceptable Election’s Outcome? Evidence from Ghana’s 2012 Election’. African Studies 28 (3):1–23. https://doi.org/10.1080/00020184.2018.1519335
DeKlerk, A. 2021. ‘SA is not ready for electronic voting’, 14 October 14, 2021.
Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC). 2009. Electoral Commission Report 2009. 12 August 2021.
Electoral Institute for Sustainable Democrcy in Africa (EISA). 2009. EISA Interim statement: Eisa observer mission to the 2009 South Africa national &Provincial elections. 1 October 2021. At www.eisa.org.za/
____. 2019. Election Observer Mission to the 2019 National and Provincial Elections in South Africa. 30 November, 2021. www.eisa.org.za/
Electoral Commission of Namibia (ECN). 2014. Post-Election Report. 10 January 2022. At https://www.ecn.na/
Ellul, J. 1990. The Technological Bluff. Eerdmans: Grand Rapids.
Fokane, T. 2021. 2021. South Africa’s Parliament Rejects Plan to Introduce e-Voting. 16 November. At www/cipesa.org/
Garson, G D. 2006. Public Information Technology and E-Governance: Managing the Virtual State. Sudbury, MA: Jones & Bartlett.
Hill, K A and J E Hughes. 1999. ‘Is the internet an instrument of global democratisation?’ Democratisation 6 (2): 99–127. https://doi.org/10.1080/13510349908403613
Hoff, J. 2000. ‘Technology and social change: The path between technological determinism, social constructivism and new institutionalism’. In J Hoff, I Horrocks & P Tops (eds), Democratic Governance and New Technology: Technologically Mediated Innovations in Political Practice in Western Europe. London: Routledge.
Human Science Research Council. 2021. Title missing title missing**. 17 December. At http://www.hsrc.ac.za/en/news/dces/Local_elections_disillusionment.
Jain, A K, A Ross and S Prabhakar. 2004. An introduction to biometric recognition’: IEEE Transactions on Circuits and Systems for Video Technology, 14 (1):4–20.** https://doi.org/10.1109/TCSVT.2003.818349
Joerges, B. 1999. ‘Do politics have artefacts?’ Social Studies of Science, 29 (3):411–431. https://doi.org/10.1177/030631299029003004
Kedzie, C R. 1997. Communication and Democracy: Coincident Revolutions and the Emergent Dictator’s Dilemma. RAND: Santa Monica
Lee, Y O. 2009. ‘Internet election 2.0? Culture, institutions, and technology in the Korean presidential elections of 2002 and 2007’. Journal of Information Technology & Politics, 6: 312–325. https://doi.org/10.1080/19331680903050085
Mathe, L. 2020. ‘The Challenges and Opportunities of a Web 2.0 Election: The Case of Zimbabwe’. Journal of African Elections, 19(2):125-145. https://doi.org/10.20940/JAE/2020/v19i2a7
Mathe, L & M Caldwell. 2017. ‘A Content Analysis of Readers’ Comments on Political and Economic News Articles from Zimbabwe Online Media’. KRE Journal of Communication, 8 (1): 56–68. https://doi.org/10.1080/0976691X.2017.1305684
Mathe, L. 2021a. ‘Party nominee or independent candidate? Examining electoral reforms and use of digital technologies for voter participation in South Africa’. Journal of African Elections, 20 (2),120-140 JAE20.2Mathe.pdf (eisa.org). https://doi.org/10.20940/JAE/2021/v20i2a7
Mathe, L. 2021b. ‘Imagining the Diaspora Vote from Zimbabweans Abroad: Electronic Voting or Postal Voting? International journal of Innovation, Creativity and Change, 5(3):303-320 . 15324 Mathe 2021 E1.docx (ijicc.net)
Mozaffar, S and A Schedler. 2002. ‘The comparative study of electoral governance – Introduction’. International Political Science Review, 23 (1): 5–27. https://doi.org/10.1177/0192512102023001001
Mutsvairo, B & B Karam. 2018. Perspectives on Political communication in Africa. London: Palgrave Macmillan. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-62057-2
Nwagwu, E J. 2016. Information and Communication Technology and Administration of 2015 General Election in Nigeria. Mediterranean Journal of Social Sciences 7(4). https://doi.org/10.5901/mjss.2016.v7n4p303
Ott, D and M Rosser. 2000. ‘The electronic republic? The role of the internet in promoting democracy in Africa’. Democratisation, 7(1): 137–156. https://doi.org/10.1080/13510340008403649
Parliament of the Republic of South Africa. 2020. ‘Home Affairs Committee Calls for Reconsideration of Clause 14 and 21 of Electoral Laws Amendment Bill’. 10 January.
______. 2021. ‘Home Affairs Committee Adopts Electoral Laws Amendment Bill’. 13 November.
Parliamentary Monitoring Group (PMG). 2021. Report of the Portfolio Committee on Home Affairs on the Electoral Laws Amendment Bil., dated 1 December 2020. 18 December.
Power, M, S Khumalo and W Trott. 2021. Democracy 2.0: Digital voting systems. ALT Advisory, Public Interest Advistory Service. 15 October.
Racsko, P. 2019. ‘Blockchain and Democracy’. Society and Economy, 41(3),353-369. https://doi.org/10.1556/204.2019.007
Rhodes, K. A. 2003. Information Security: Challenges in Using Biometrics. US General Accounting Office.
Schaffer, F.C. 2002. ‘Might cleaning up elections keep people away from the polls? historical and comparative perspectives’. International Political Science Review, 23(1): 69–84. https://doi.org/10.1177/0192512102023001004
Schulz-Herzenberg, C. 2019. ‘The Decline of Partisan Voting and the Rise in Electoral Uncertainty in South Africa’s 2019 General Elections’. Politikon, 46 (4):462–480. https://doi.org/10.1080/02589346.2019.1686235
Wayman, J. 2000. A Definition of Biometrics National Biometric Test Center Collected Works 1997–2000. San Jose State University: San Jose Calif.
Winner, L. 1986. The Whale and the Reactor: A Search for Limits in an Age of High Technology. University of Chicago Press: Chicago.
Xenakis, A and Macintosh, A. 2008. ‘A framework for the analysis of procedural security of the e-electoral process’. International Journal of Public Administration 31:711–729. https://doi.org/10.1080/01900690701690759
Zdnet. 2018. ‘South Korea to Develop Blockchain Voting System’. 11 December. At https://www.zdnet.com/
Article Sidebar
Published
May 10, 2022
Article Details
How to Cite
The adoption of digital technology for South Africa’s 2021 municipal elections, and prospects for the future. (2022). Digital Policy Studies, 1(1), 13-26. https://doi.org/10.36615/dps.v1i1.1252
Issue
Section
Research Articles
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
Licensing information
Creative Commons CC Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International Public License
© Author(s)
Author Biography
Limukani Mathe, University of Johannesburg
School of Communication
How to Cite
The adoption of digital technology for South Africa’s 2021 municipal elections, and prospects for the future. (2022). Digital Policy Studies, 1(1), 13-26. https://doi.org/10.36615/dps.v1i1.1252