By Olusola Adeyegbe
I have been reflecting on the ongoing debate around electoral technology in Nigeria. While tools like BVAS and IReV have brought welcome transparency, there remains a widespread misconception that they enable “real-time voting”, or can bring about real-time electronic transmission of election results. This assumption is fundamentally inaccurate.
What we currently have is the transfer and transmission of results from the polling units to INEC’s IReV portal. Even if such a transfer is done immediately after the counting of votes, it does not qualify the process to be categorized as real-time voting or real-time result transfer. This is so because the process still relies on physically completed result sheets (Form EC8A), which are later scanned and uploaded to the IReV portal. This does not constitute voting in real time, nor does it amount to real-time transfer, regardless of the speed involved.
True real-time voting-which I believe Nigerians truly desire-would mean that as each voter casts his or her ballot, the vote is recorded instantly and directly into the electoral system. This would function like a financial transfer: you enter the details, press send, and the transaction is confirmed at the other end within moments. No paperwork involved! Applying this same banking-style immediacy to voting would be real-time transmission, real-time transfer, and real-time voting, pure and simple.
This approach would render physical collation centres obsolete, and could make visiting polling units optional. Imagine a system where voters can securely cast their ballot from personal devices, verified through robust identity frameworks such as BVN or NIN. Such a system would not only eliminate opportunities for manual alteration of results but also address challenges like voter intimidation and logistical constraints.
The recent debate over “transmission” versus “transfer” of results is almost laughable. Both terms essentially describe moving results from one point to another, a far cry from the paradigm shift that real-time voting represents.
To truly put allegations of electoral malpractice to rest, we must think beyond incremental improvements and explore the transformative potential of real-time, direct digital voting, leveraging trusted identification systems and innovative technological solutions tailored to our national context.
