New technologies can minimise or eliminate weaknesses in the electoral system
This year marks 23 years since the establishment of the Electoral Commission of SA . Having served as a commissioner for the IEC for almost 14 years, and as vice-chairperson from 2011 until late 2018, I witnessed the growth of the institution with the growth of electoral democracy in SA.
It has been suggested that the IEC should consider using facial recognition technology in the upcoming elections. Facial recognition is one technological intervention made possible by big data and machine learning. But other technologies are equally effective and cost effective. These technologies contribute to the way political parties navigate political spaces. UK-based company Cambridge Analytica used big data to influence the outcome of the 2016 US presidential election and the Brexit referendum. There is also a belief that the uprisings in Latin America, particularly in Bolivia and Venezuela, are not spontaneous reaction of citizens but the outcome of a well-calculated strategy that relies on big data and machine learning.
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