[ILUG] E-voting as dead as a Norwegian Blue

[Kuda Dube]

The Zimbabwe electoral system is  certainly accurate in as far as the
casting and the counting of the ballot are concerned. It is the violence
and intimidation that happens before the actual casting of votes that is
used as an instrument of stealing the vote. There is normally no
rigging of the ballot. So these devices can be easily welcomed in
Zimbabwe. However, its the violence, killings (of a few people, usually
less than 15-20 nation-wide and not enough to make it a genocide), the
beatings and the serious threats of post-election retribution before
the casting of votes that may decide who wins. The casting of votes
could easily be peaceful and the counting could easily be accurate.
Zimbabwe electoral nightmares have nothing to do with the actual voting
system instead its more to do with political parties that are
effectively military political organisations (liberation movements)
with command or admin or organisational structures that are dual in
nature: an military wing and a political wing. Both wings operate
within the population during campaign periods. They use both civil
political campaigns and military approaches that include force,
coercion and threats. The sort of politicians who could easily campaign
with with AK47s on the backs. Hence, in countries like Zimbabwe, the
solution lies elsewhere away from the ballot boxes/systems and well
before and after the day the votes are cast. 

In South Africa, the ANC was never as fully operational militarily
inside South Africa as ZANU-PF was in Zimbabwe. Their army never become
fully operational on a large-scale on the ground within the SA
population as ZANU-PF's army did in Zimbabwe. Hence, in SA, we may see
more cheating of the actual ballot system than the use of military
force within the voting population before and after elections. Hence,
ZANU-PF prefer a bloody electoral campaign and a clean, unriggable
ballot system whereas the ANC may seek a peaceful campaign and a
faulty, riggable ballot. Thus, Zimbabwe may actually accept these
devices while South Africa may be reluctant to accept such devices.

--
KD

On Fri, 24 Apr 2009 06:58:44 +0200
Andrew McGill <list2008 at lunch.za.net> wrote:

> On Thursday 23 April 2009 15:37:12 Andrew Court wrote:
> > Some other unsuspecting democracy? Zimbabwe perhaps?
> Being made for a European market, these devices will not be
> acceptable in Zimbabwe, or in South Africa, where equipment and
> procedures must accommodate extensive cheating requirements.  
> 
> &:-)
> 
> >
> > On Thu, Apr 23, 2009 at 2:26 PM, John Madden <john+ilug at jmadden.eu>
> > wrote:
> ..
> > Based on what I heard on the news at lunchtime, the Government is
> > hoping to recoup some of the cost of the machines. I presume this
> > means they're going to try and offload them cheap on some other
> > unsuspecting democracy!!



-- 
Kudakwashe Dube