Sign in Subscribe
Political parties

Electronic Voting in Kaduna State: A New Era of Election Integrity?

Strategic Insights

— 1 min read

Governor Mallam Nasir El-Rufai's administration has made a significant stride in ensuring election integrity in Kaduna State with the introduction of electronic voting machines. The system, which was put to the test in local government elections, has reportedly minimized the possibility of rigging and cheating. In a surprising turn of events, El-Rufai's polling unit was won by the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). Despite initial challenges with the voting machines, the electronic system has shown significant improvement, taking less than 15 seconds to complete the voting process.

Key Takeaways:

  • The electronic voting system introduced by Governor El-Rufai's administration has made it nearly impossible to do multiple voting, which was a prevalent issue in the 2018 LG polls.
  • The voting machine, which uses a voting card to activate and open the machine for voting, ensures that the voting process is accurate and efficient.
  • The system transmits results at the end of voting to a server, a back-up at a USB, and prints copies for all parties and security agencies, making it difficult to alter the results.
  • Despite initial challenges, the electronic voting system has shown significant improvement, taking less than 15 seconds to complete the voting process.
  • Governor El-Rufai's administration has committed to free and fair elections in Kaduna State, allowing the people to elect their preferred candidates.
  • The PDP has raised alarm over the conduct of the elections, alleging that voting machines were programmed to accept and print votes for the APC only.

Statistics:

  • In the chairmanship election, the PDP scored 86 votes while the APC got 62 votes in El-Rufai's polling unit.
  • In the councillorship election, the PDP scored 100 votes while the APC recorded 53 votes.
  • The improved voting machine used in the 2021 elections has shown a significant reduction in the time required to complete the voting process, taking less than 15 seconds.

Sources:

  • El-Rufai, Mallam Nasir. "Interview after casting vote." (No date mentioned in the source)
  • Mohammed Sani, Presiding Officer. "Announcement of results for El-Rufai's Angwan Sarki 001 polling unit." (No date mentioned in the source)
  • THISDAY. "Kaduna elections: Residents express apathy due to general hardship." (No date mentioned in the source)
  • Abraham Catoh, Spokesman of the state chapter of the PDP. "Address to newsmen at the NUJ Press Centre in Kaduna." (No date mentioned in the source)

Read more