Transmit Polls Results Where Feasible — Senate Report

THE Senate Committee on Independent National Electoral
Commission, INEC, yesterday bowed to pressure from Civil Society
Organisations, CSOs, and other stakeholders who kicked against
moves by the Senate to expunge from the Electoral Act the clause on
electronic transmission of results.

The committee, which had earlier jettisoned the idea of
electronic transmission of election results, in its report that
would be passed today, adjusted the contentious section of the bill
to state that INEC may now partially transmit results of elections
by electronic means where and when practicable.

With this development, it means that the bill, when passed, will
empower INEC to transmit results electronically in some parts of
the country.

The report

The report read: “52(1) Voting at an election under this bill
shall be by open secret ballot.

“52(2) Voting at an election under this bill shall be in
accordance with the procedure determined by the commission, which
may include electronic voting.

“52(3) The commission may transmit results of elections by
electronic means where and when practicable.”

Recall that in the earlier provision, Section 50 (2) of the
Electoral Act Bill which was inserted into the bill, no provision
was made for INEC to transmit results of any election
electronically.

The section had read: “Voting at an election under this bill
shall be in accordance with the procedure determined by the
commission, which may include electronic voting, PROVIDED that the
commission shall not transmit results of elections by electronic
means.

“A voter on receiving a ballot paper shall mark it in the manner
prescribed by the commission.

“All ballots at an election under this bill at any polling
station shall be deposited in the ballot box in the open view of
the public.”

It was gathered that the section which was “smuggled” into the
bill was never part of the provisions agreed by the stakeholders
and the Senate Committee on INEC during their various
engagements.

THE Senate Committee on Independent National Electoral
Commission, INEC, yesterday bowed to pressure from Civil Society
Organisations, CSOs, and other stakeholders who kicked against
moves by the Senate to expunge from the Electoral Act the clause on
electronic transmission of results.

The committee, which had earlier jettisoned the idea of
electronic transmission of election results, in its report that
would be passed today, adjusted the contentious section of the bill
to state that INEC may now partially transmit results of elections
by electronic means where and when practicable.

With this development, it means that the bill, when passed, will
empower INEC to transmit results electronically in some parts of
the country.

The report

The report read: “52(1) Voting at an election under this bill
shall be by open secret ballot.

“52(2) Voting at an election under this bill shall be in
accordance with the procedure determined by the commission, which
may include electronic voting.

“52(3) The commission may transmit results of elections by
electronic means where and when practicable.”

Recall that in the earlier provision, Section 50 (2) of the
Electoral Act Bill which was inserted into the bill, no provision
was made for INEC to transmit results of any election
electronically.

The section had read: “Voting at an election under this bill
shall be in accordance with the procedure determined by the
commission, which may include electronic voting, PROVIDED that the
commission shall not transmit results of elections by electronic
means.

“A voter on receiving a ballot paper shall mark it in the manner
prescribed by the commission.

“All ballots at an election under this bill at any polling
station shall be deposited in the ballot box in the open view of
the public.”

It was gathered that the section which was “smuggled” into the
bill was never part of the provisions agreed by the stakeholders
and the Senate Committee on INEC during their various
engagements.