A comparative analysis of Botswana and South African election days
Richard Moleofe | Friday May 16, 2014 17:06
The objective of this analysis is to expose the gaps and the good attributes that exist in the systems of the two countries. I have identified seven critical points that need attention in this comparison. This will help inform Botswana in the next gen elections.
Party Colours On Election Day - Party agents are allowed to be within the premises of the voting stations in their party colours but may not be allowed to enter the polling rooms. They become helpful in assisting voters in checking their names against the voters’ roll and in the process reducing the time spent on queues. Botswana does not have this practice which has fermented tensions at polling stations in South Africa. The ANC was seen in a lot of polling stations distributing t-shirts and urging its supporters to wear them as they proceeded to the voting booths and this is not against the law. This partisan approach to elections is divisive and can be damaging to the unity of any nation.
Electronic Voting - The requirement for identification on Election Day is a bar coded identity card or a temporary identification certificate which also bears a bar code. IEC South Africa introduced a desirable innovation of electronic scans that read into the bar codes and this prevents any fraud of multiple voting. However, the scans were not working at most polling stations and this impeded the election process by causing delays.
The system is also designed such that it can be operated manually by depending only on the voters’ roll which is in hard copies.
This will mean that the voter is not captured in the electronic system and therefore can proceed to vote in another voting station because the voters’ roll for the whole polling district will have the same list. Botswana needs to introduce electronic measures to improve the running of elections. India, the most populous democracy has reverted to the use of electronic voting which helps fast track the counting of over 500 million vote in two days.
Flexible Voters’ Roll - The voters’ roll is designed such that it gives the voter some flexibility to choose where they want to vote. For instance, if the queue is too long at polling station A, the voter may elect to proceed to polling station B which is still in the same polling district. This innovation was intended to prevent a situation where some voters fall through the cracks because they could no longer wait in the long lines. Because of the none functioning scans, the system was open to abuse because people literally run around the stations and votes multiplied within the space of time when there was an electronic jam.
Photography of Ballot Papers - The rules at the polling booths are strict. Voters are not permitted to take pictures of the ballot paper before and after making a mark against the party of their choice.
This is a criminal offence and the police at the polling stations are always ready to deal with this. The problem here is that this is just a policy and not a law and that way the criminality of it falls off.
Botswana needs to work something out around this because current technology provides a platform for such misconduct and the prevention of such must be drafted into a law. The taking of pictures of a ballot papers especially after making a mark is open to abuse and such pictures can be posted on social websites and this may have undue influence on others who may have not cast their vote.
Voting Hours - Closing of polling stations is crucial in the sense that it determines how many voters are allowed to pass through the ballot box. Mindful of the fact that polling day is always a holiday in South Africa, not all personnel are able to be released from their work places. Some are only able to cast their votes after leaving their work places.
The closing of polls at 9pm allowed those who could not cast their votes in the morning due to the none functioning scans that lead to the late opening of polling stations. Botswana polls close at 7pm and this needs to be changed. The 7pm came from an era when Botswana was largely rural with a non-existent infrastructure at the time of independence.
Flexible Voting - The none restriction of the national vote is crucial and keeps South Africa’s democracy moving forward. People are allowed to cast their vote just anywhere in the country as long as they appear in the voters’ roll. The portable scanners can literally reveal the entire national voters’ roll hence the technology helps in enhancing democracy and in the process addressing voter apathy. Remember that these were provincial and national elections. In Botswana, many voters still fall in the cracks as some may not be able to make a trip from Kasane to Gabane just to cast their vote on Election Day. IEC Botswana needs to seriously take this matter into consideration because it is outdated for this era of technology and shows the lack of innovation on their part.
Temporary Identity Certificates - The Department of Home Affairs was not on holiday during Election Day because they had to be issuing almost millions of temporary identification certificates. The certificates expire within a shorter time and they are only given to those who cannot find their identity cards on Election Day. This is simply a certified copy of the ID which can only be issued by the department. It is amazing that thousands of applicants were seen queuing at these offices throughout the country as they had either lost or misplaced their identity cards at the 11th hour. Botswana could emulate this as it would help address voter apathy and in the process generate income for the government coffers as the South Africans charge R70 for this document.
*Richard Moleofe is a Retired Military Officer who observed elections in South Africa