IEC gears up for elections

THE Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) says it is ready to hold the 2021 local government elections in October despite the challenges posed by the Covid-19 pandemic.

In the last few weeks, the IEC was caught between a rock and a hard place after political parties called for the polls’ postponement.

To assess the readiness for the elections, the commission appointed retired Deputy Chief Justice Dikgang Moseneke to conduct a review of what constitutes a free and fair election under Covid-19 circumstances.

IEC chairperson Glen Mashinini said this week: “Based on the Constitution, the law, operational readiness for the elections and a thorough assessment of the current pandemic conditions, the commission is of the view that we are technically ready to deliver the elections. Therefore, we believe the 2021 municipal elections should proceed as things currently stand.”

IEC chief electoral officer Sy Mamabolo echoed Mashinini’s sentiments that despite Covid-19 threats, the electoral commission remained very much on track to hold credible elections.

Additionally, Mashinini said that elections were about ordinary citizens coming together to determine the future of their communities. Therefore, to ensure the safety of voters, the elections management body had put in place various effective safety measures to help mitigate the impact of the virus.

According to the chief electoral officer, these safety assessments were conducted in consultation with health and disaster management experts.

Mamabolo said the safety protocols formed part of the commission’s integral part of preparations and the delivery aspects of the electoral processes.

“These measures have been developed in line with global and local health protocols as well as drawing from the experience of many countries around the world and on our own continent which have successfully conducted elections under Covid conditions,” he said.

As the pandemic pushes the world towards a more digital landscape, technological innovations are set to play a significant role in this year’s elections.

While the IEC announced that it is considering the implementation of an online voters registration system, the wheels to replace the old scanners that were used over the past 15 years have started rolling.

The commission said that a new voter management tool was on the cards.

Mamabolo said: “The Electoral Commission is in the process of taking delivery of 40 000 new-generation devices which we believe will significantly enhance the speed, accuracy and integrity of the voter registration and participation process. In addition, the devices will assist us with ballot paper tracking, managing electoral staff attendance registers and other administrative requirements.”

Mamabolo added that there had been at least an increase of 76 municipal wards and 539 more voting districts in the last five years. The latter increased by 2,3% which brought the total voting districts to 23 151.