Modern problems must be solved by modern methods. However, when it comes to both voter registration and voting, we largely use old fashioned methods to address challenges of the 21st century. It is actually just not voting which is stuck in the dark ages, even our campaign methods haven’t progressed very far. We still use loud speakers to announce meetings and disturb the peace just as they did in the 1970s (something which I believe was seen as analogous to our town/village criers, ba bitsa dikgafela in the quiet early hours of the morning). However in other areas of our lives we have evolved as a people. We used to cook our meals in the open fire using a three legged pot. We now use a stove and cook our food indoors. We used to relieve ourselves out in the bush (from which the Setswana idioms go ya ntle or go ya nageng, go ithoma were derived) and then drag our bottoms in the grass or in sand to clean them ÔÇô re ithititsa! Things have changed now. Indoor flush toilets are used.
It is important that the IEC should move swiftly towards researching and exploring electronic registration and electronic voting. Here is the current problem: many individuals who qualify to register for elections haven’t. The large majority of these are young people, or young adults who have gone through at least secondary education. Many of these use a cell phone, a computer and perhaps an ATM machine. This means that they are fairly familiar with basic modern technology. This is good since this means that we could seriously use electronic equipment for both registration and voting. It doesn’t help to beat people on the head daily for not registering to vote when you don’t speak their language; when you don’t make registration available through an electronic medium which potential voters are much familiar with. Banks have moved to electronic banking. Not only that, they have migrated to cell phone banking.
It is now possible to send someone money through your phone. You can transfer money between different accounts using your cell phone. You can also pay other services such as Dstv, electricity, and others just using your phone. Educational institutions are already using electronic technology to deliver students’ results to their cell phones. Now form 5 results can be accessed through a cell phone and UB students get their results on their mobile phones. Now that already much is being done through an individual cell phone, why is that the IEC is not exploring voter registration through ATM machines and mobile phones? If I can buy electricity at an ATM machine shouldn’t I be able to register for elections at an ATM as well? Shouldn’t I be able to register for elections through a cell phone?
Let us be fair, electronic registration has its hurdles and insecurities. While it may increase of number of registered voters, speed the counting of ballots and improve accessibility for the sick and disabled, it does raise some serious security concerns. Some have argued that it could facilitate electoral fraud. Individual ID could be stolen or fake ones created. Verification can be difficult to perform. These are the kinds of dangers that are typical of electronic transactions. Pins can be lost. They could land in the wrong hands. Does this mean that we should be keep away from electronic registration and voting? Far from it. We should instead move swiftly towards it with our eyes open. We should learn the challenges posed by electronic registration and voting and develop systems and mechanisms to mitigate such challenges.
We have a lot to learn from countries which have are into electronic voting. For instance the USA has been using electronic voting since the 1960s. Brazil, Venezuela, the UK, France, Canada, Switzerland and India also use a kind of electronic voting. I must hasten to state that there are at least two types of electronic voting systems. First is a type in which electronic equipment is in a specific place supervised by an electoral officer. This for instance in the case of voting, would constitute an electronic voting machine in a polling station. The advantage obviously is that the methodology is hybrid in that there is oversight but also the verification of the voting process and tabulation of votes is handled by a computer. The second type of e-voting or registration is remote ÔÇô removed from the prying eyes of the electoral officers. In the case of registration this would be similar to filling online forms. In terms of voting, it could be done from one’s personal computer or cell phone
Much of our information is already in government databases. This is information relating to births and deaths. Our Omang information is already handled in government databases and provides a base that may be used in electronic registration and voting.
It is important that the IEC should conduct a comparative study of the different electronic voting systems used around the world and consider one or a number that could be used in the Botswana context in the future. As more young people become disinterested in politics and find going to queue up for registration and voting, we must introduce innovate ways of facilitating voter registration and voting. In so doing, we don’t have to reinvent the wheel. We must instead learn from others and ride on their achievements while working hard to avoid their pitfalls. Electronic registration and voting will always have some challenges. But we must remember that our current voting system is also not without its challenges. Some have been accused of stuffed ballot boxes and one recently kicked a ballot box in the regions of Serowe and yet we still use the manual voting and registration system. I am convinced that electronic voting and registration will increase the number of registered voters and votes cast and will go a long way in strengthening Botswana’s democracy. There is no reason why IEC shouldn’t explore its viability.
