In order for a
country to move forward with progressive change that is beneficial for all its
citizens, it must first establish a democratic process that is fair, secure and
respected. This is particularly challenging for countries in transition,
especially where a fair and open democracy is still a relatively novel concept
in the shadow of previously unjust regimes.
A prime example
of these circumstances is happening right now in the African country of
Nigeria. Even though the federal elections were held just earlier this year,
electing Muhammadu Buhari as the new President, the electoral commission and
other governmental organizations are already looking ahead to the next election
scheduled to take place in 2019.
Independent
National Electoral Commission (INEC) Acting Chairperson Mrs. Amina Zakari has
indicated that the commission “is ready to implement what is contemplated
in the law.” More specifically, she says that Nigeria is technologically ready
to move forward with e-voting as soon as the impediment of the law has been
alleviated. The next major step required is to pass laws in Nigeria that allow
for the widespread adoption of electronic voting technology for the 2019
elections.
To this end,
INEC has
partnered with the National Information Technology Development Agency
(NITDA) in an effort to deploy high technology in what should be a very robust
election in four years’ time. The announcement of this collaboration comes
ahead of an annual e-governance conference in mid-November, called eNigeria, where discussions will be
held in regards to applying technological solutions in the 2019 general
election, as well as to how to improve the electoral system in the nation as a whole.
It would not be
prudent for Nigeria to hurl itself into full deployment of e-voting throughout
its democratic process without first performing some due diligence. Indeed,
while Nigeria did make use of biometric technology in its general election earlier
this year, the fingerprint identification system was marred
with problematic challenges. Once again, this further illustrates the
incredible importance of two key issues.
First, the
electoral commission of Nigeria must be careful in selecting the right providers
for its e-voting equipment and infrastructure. This includes not only the hardware
for voter authentication and digital ballots, possibly with the inclusion of a
voter-verifiable paper trail, but also for the systems in place to manage these
machines. A reputable vendor will have a proven track record in running
elections of at least this size and magnitude.
Second, and this
point is intimately intertwined with the first, the full election process must
be open to scrutiny and testing through a robust
series of audits. The audits must be in place through an impartial third
party throughout the election, as well as both before and after the ballots are
cast. The e-voting machines must be audited thoroughly. This way, any
challenges or shortcomings will be suitably addressed before they become more
widespread.
The integrity of
the election results, and thus the public perception and acceptance of the
election results, depends heavily on the reliability and security of the
infrastructure used. Nigeria needs free, fair and open elections and the use of
technology could pave the road. Nigeria is
ready to adopt e-voting for its 2019 national elections and the pace is
quickening with each passing day. Even before laws are passed to allow for
e-voting on a national scale, INEC is prepared to move forward with agencies to
develop the legal framework needed and to update its own internal processes.
