INEC Wants Electronic Voting in 2023
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has said it is determined to deepen the use of technology in the electoral process in the country, adding that it is one of the legacies it intends to give the Nigerian people.
Addressing a workshop on technological applications in the Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) process systems for heads of department of ICT in the states and FCT on Monday in Lagos State, the national commissioner and chairman Information and Voter Education, INEC, Festus Okoye, said the commission must improve with every election and with every electoral cycle.
Okoye said the commission is resolved to improve the quality of voter’s register and improve the opportunity for every eligible Nigerian to register in the process. He said some technological innovations were recently approved and introduced to the voter registration system.
Okoye said this is in keeping with the commission’s avowed determination to deepen the use of technology in the electoral process through continued innovations that introduced desirable changes and new solutions to the electoral process.
He said the Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) process and the registration of voters is a crucial building block for any electoral democracy.
He said a credible register of voters is a sine qua non in the electoral process.
“While a register of voters of questionable integrity undermines the credibility of an election and erodes the trust of the people in the electoral outcomes, an accurate and reliable register of voters not only enhances electoral transparency and integrity; it confers credibility on electoral outcomes.
“This commission is determined to deepen the use of technology in the electoral process. We must improve with every election and with every electoral cycle. That must be our legacy and the legacy we must leave for the Nigerian people,” he said.
Okoye said the application of technological applications to the CVR process is designed to facilitate ease of registration, especially within the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, and to minimize data loss.
He said the commission will continue to work assiduously to reduce manual processes in our electoral process, thereby reducing incidents of manipulations, human interventions, and fraud.
“Although the commission had promised to undertake the registration of eligible citizens on a continual basis as prescribed by the law, the resumption of the exercise after the 2019 General Election was delayed on account of the challenges of the COVID-19 Pandemic.
Okoye said the ability of the commission to successfully conduct the two elections and reconfigure our polling units is a huge achievement.
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