The use of internet-based technologies in elections management processes in South Africa towards the design of a framework : a case example of the Gauteng Province

Abstract

Over the past two decades, new technologies have played an increasingly integral role in the organization of elections around the world. A number of countries have turned to a variety of technological solutions in a bid to make elections more efficient and more cost-effective, and to strengthen stakeholder trust at each stage of the election cycle. On the other hand, the evolution of disparate modern technologies has proven that the introduction of technology comes with some risks, such as the malfunctioning of equipment, the contested integrity of machines, or exposure to hacking and lack of trust from stakeholders. In the context of elections, technology is used to achieve three objectives: (1) to ensure that all information produced during the elections process, particularly the election results and the elections roll, is correct, trustworthy and secure; (2) to generate a broad acceptance that the elections outcome is a true and fair representation of the citizens‘ will; and (3) increased administrative efficiency, reduced costs and strengthened trust among electioneering stakeholders. Hence, the aim of this study was to develop a generic framework to guide the effectiveness of Internet-based technologies in safeguarding elections management processes in Gauteng, South Africa. To achieve this, the study adopted an artefact model to improve integrated human and technology performance, exploring the existing literature in order to develop a framework comprising views and opinions of elections stakeholders. It employed a detailed Design science approach which makes use of a case-example strategy to collect data through a literature review, recorded observations, questionnaires, focus groups and expert reviews. The study, by design, is a mixed-method exploring both qualitative and quantitative approaches in the investigations. Consequently, the study adopted the multivariate regressive predictive modelling method and descriptive statistics for analysis. The study population consisted of 500 participants, comprising the Electoral Commission of South Africa1 (IEC), political parties, NGOs, media houses, government institutions, election observers and elections experts located in Gauteng. The study made use of the stratified purposive sampling of 385 voters as the representation of four geo-political areas of Gauteng. The main findings of the study pointed to a significant correlation between the use of Internet-based technologies and election integrity in Gauteng. An increase in usage of internet-based technologies results in greater election integrity and legitimacy, which also covers trust in the accuracy, completeness and reliability of information. Based on the results, the study developed four predictive models to estimate the integrity of elections outcomes with technology integration in elections. These models were validated and found to be relevant to the context of South African elections. Based on the descriptive statistics results obtained, this study recommends that an effective and efficient automated elections process, systematizing and standardizing observational methodologies, should be put in place to help improve the integrity of e-enabled elections. The most important currency is public trust, and manual ballot papers will remain the golden standard for any election in South Africa. The thesis submits that the foreseeable Internet-based technology future may well support automated, digitised elections procedures and processes in four key areas of elections processes, namely voter registration, voter identification, voting procedures and real-time results. Furthermore, the research concludes with specific implementation guidelines as well as areas for future research.