“Are we adequately equipped for the operation of the electronic voting? Countries which have operated this system for decades still grapple with it despite the advanced state of their technological development. It must be appreciated that the problems bedevilling elections in Nigeria do not entirely relate to the accuracy of the process of voting and collation of votes. It is more of an attitudinal problem on the part of the electorates and the Politicians who will stop at nothing to attain political power”. On the 31st of May 2018, the House of Representatives rejected moves for the adoption of electronic voting during the upcoming 2019 general elections. The House took the decision whilst considering the Electoral Act (Amendment) Bill, 2018, the long title of which is, “A bill for an Act to amend the provisions of the Electoral Act, No. 6, 2010 to further improve the electoral process and for related matters.”
For a long time, the introduction of e-voting has continued to attract comments from Nigerians. While some consider it as long overdue, others call for a caution in the adoption of the new system. Without a doubt, the electoral process is central to the aspiration of any nation to achieve economic and political independence and sovereignty not only in law but in fact. A transparent electoral system is necessary towards the achievement of proper development. While I agree that its introduction is very much needed to further guarantee transparency in the nations’s electoral system, just as the introduction of electronic card readers has done, I consider that much more still needs to be done in terms of infrastructural development and support.
Read more at: https://www.vanguardngr.com/2018/06/house-representatives-rejection-electronic-voting-2019/
Full Article: House of Representatives’ rejection of electronic voting for 2019 – Vanguard News.
