POLL | Should the IEC consider online voting for future elections?
Image: Thapelo Morebudi
With some voters having had to endure long hours and queues before they could cast their ballots on Wednesday, the debate on whether the Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) should look into online voting for future elections came up.
Pictures and video footage of long, winding queues at voting stations were widely shared when South Africans went to the polls. At some stations voting continued after midnight as a result of the huge turnout. The cut-off time for voting was 9pm.
TimesLIVE reported there was a proposal to look into extending the deadline beyond 9pm and possibly having a second day of voting.
However, the IEC and political parties are said to have agreed there was no need to extend to another day. This was because the IEC committed to the parties that anyone in a queue at 9pm would be allowed to vote.
IEC chief electoral officer Sy Mamabolo said the commission had never considered having a two-day election.
Though voting online and in the comfort of your home sounds a good idea, some are concerned the IEC systems might not be compatible to prevent vote-rigging which will compromise elections.