18 Aug 2016

Parliament has endorsed the Electoral Amendment Bill which seeks to improve efficiency of the electoral process through the use of electronic voting machine.

Speaking during a kgotla meeting in Kanye on August 17, Minister of Agriculture Mr Patrick Ralotsia who is also a Member of Parliament for Kanye North told constituents that in the up-coming general elections slated for 2019 an electronic voting device would be used.

He said the use of such a device comes up with some benefits such as enhancing the efficacy and management of the electoral process as well as speeding up the voting process that would spare constituents time for opportunity costs.

He said the use of electronic voting holds the possibility of increasing the ease of voting for citizens who would be susceptible to harsh or unfavorable weather conditions when using the manual system of voting that attract long queues.

Mr Ralotsia said ideally, voters gain a better voting experience at the polls, are more confident that their vote will be correctly counted, and are able to vote more easily and efficiently.

He said the electronic voting system is potentially able to increase voter turnout, reduce costs, increase voter confidence, renew interest in the political system and voting, and ensure the most democratic process possible. He emphasised that one of the most significant benefits of this new system is the possibility for increased efficiency noting with electronic voting machines, voters can submit their votes, and be reasonably confident that their votes will count and have voted for the right party.

Minister Ralotsia said Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) will conduct public education country-wide on how to use the electronic voting machine prior to the next general elections.

He said Botswana has been benchmarking on electronic voting in different countries like Namibia, amongst others and is confident that the voting machines will bring the expected results. ENDS