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Elections get interactive

Johannesburg, 06 May 2014
The IEC wanted to make election data available to everyone, which is why it launched mobile apps, says CIO Libisi Maphanga.
The IEC wanted to make election data available to everyone, which is why it launched mobile apps, says CIO Libisi Maphanga.

The results of SA's national general elections - the fifth since the dawn of democracy 20 years ago - are set to become even more interactive.

However, detractors question whether the Independent Electoral Commission's (IEC's) three apps will have relevance beyond the next few days, coming so soon to the actual vote. Questions have also been asked as to why the commission did not launch the applications in the run-up to the elections, when South Africans were being encouraged to register to vote.

Tomorrow, South Africans will go to the polls to make their mark to elect provincial and national leadership. Of the 31.4 million franchised South Africans, 25.3 million are registered, and will be logged in by 200 000 IEC staff at 22 263 voting stations, through the use of 30 000 handheld barcode scanners.

The number of South Africans who are on the voter roll is only slightly higher than those who will be able to access the IEC's information apps via smartphones - put at around 18 million by World Wide Worx - although the gap could be filled by the prevalence of feature phones.

Accessible information

The three free apps, launched just days ahead of tomorrow's elections, are aimed at informing and educating SA's populace. One, providing information such as results, is available for Android, BlackBerry, Apple, Windows 8 and Symbian smartphones and tablets, as well as the most common cheaper feature non-touch phones such Nokia's Asha 201 and older versions of BlackBerry.

IEC CIO Libisi Maphanga explains the apps, a "measure of transparency and openness", enable voters to access and follow the results in real-time throughout the capturing process, right up to the final count and Parliamentary seat allocation. "Voters will be able join us and all stakeholders in the journey of monitoring the correctness of what is captured, and calculate the final results with us."

Citizens will be able to check whether final votes tally with what has been captured at their stations, Maphanga adds. He says the IEC launched the apps to respond to citizens' information needs. "We have always looked at how to provide information to the electorate in an easy and accessible way, so that people can access it from anywhere and anytime."

Data that was previously available on its Web site - including voting information - has not been extended to "everybody", says Maphanga. "The growth of mobile devices in the country was important for us to build capabilities in that sense."

Voters will also be able to download a game app, which forms part of the IEC's education campaign for young voters. An app programming interface gives all interested stakeholders access to automated real-time election data for their own apps - such as the one launched by News24.com - or online platform.

Too late

Adrian Schofield, ICT veteran, says the app will make the results more accessible, as people will not have to stay in front of a television to access live data. There are about 11 million homes with televisions. He notes it will be interesting to see if the app is robust enough to handle volumes.

Mike Sharman, MD of Retroviral, questions whether the applications add any real value, or have any relevance, because they were launched so close to the election date.

Steven Bayhack, head of Fontera's development department Skunk Works, says the apps are a "nice effort", but have been launched a little too late in the game to have any significant impact this time around. For future elections, he says, the technology could make a marked difference to many voters - in particular those without access to broadcasting services.

"The ability to track votes in real-time is a really cool feature and could make the process exciting, but this will be far more beneficial to future voters. I think if people knew about the app they would spend a lot of time on it."

Regarding the APIs, Bayhack says there may have been significant interest - but, again, the move comes too late. "The real-time aspect is the most exciting thing about the apps and this will definitely increase interactivity in the next elections. We may even be able to vote using our cellphones one day."

Maphanga notes the apps would not have been possible without the IEC's technological backbone.

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