The adoption of digital technology for South Africa’s 2021 municipal elections, and prospects for the future

Abstract

This article / study reflects on the digital technologies and online processes adopted for conducting South Africa’s 2021 municipal elections, and the degree to which this encourages the future use of additional digital technologies. It utilises theoretical perceptions of politics and technology to analyse the perspectives of politicians, IEC officials and voters. It discusses the Independent Electoral Commission’s (IEC) use of voter management devices (VMDs) and online voter facilities, which resolved the perennial challenge of double voting. It shows that, due to COVID-19, voter apathy and possibly manual voting, the voter turnout was low. It argues that technological progress made during the 2021 municipal elections should be used to suppress fears over the consequences of electronic voting. Limited access to the internet and electricity blackouts continue to limit the use of digital technology and online process in managing South African elections. However, the IEC could adopt parallel e-voting and manual voting processes, as it did successfully for voter registration during the 2021 municipal elections.