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
Date
2019-05
Authors
Maphephe, John
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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.
Description
Submitted in fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Technology of Public Management and Economics, Durban University of Technology Durban, South Africa, 2019.
Keywords
Technological solutions, Internet-based technologies
Citation
DOI
https://doi.org/10.51415/10321/4377