Senate rejects move to make electronic transmission of election results mandatory

The Senate on Wednesday declined a proposal to amend the Electoral Amendment Bill to make the electronic transmission of election results compulsory.

Lawmakers rejected a proposed amendment to Clause 60, Subsection 3, which sought to mandate the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to transmit election results electronically from each polling unit to the IREV portal in real time.

The proposal required that results be uploaded after the prescribed Form EC8A had been signed and stamped by the presiding officer and countersigned by candidates’ agents.

During deliberations on the floor of the chamber, senators voted against the amendment and instead resolved to retain the existing provision in the Electoral Act.

The adopted provision states that “the presiding officer shall transfer the results, including the total number of accredited voters and the results of the ballot, in a manner as prescribed by the Commission.”

By rejecting the amendment, the Senate effectively left the decision on the method of transmitting election results to the discretion of INEC, rather than making electronic transmission a legal requirement.