The Electoral Commission of South Africa and Accenture have launched a mobile application designed to provide voters with the electoral information ahead of the municipal elections taking place next week (3 August).
Through the application, voters will be able to view their registration details and status, voting stations information, and navigate to their voting stations and view the results live during the elections.
They will also be able to apply for a special vote and view application status, view their registered home addresses, celebrate their votes, share key election moments, view their candidates, set the notification preferences for results, read news and information on the election processes as they happen, and view their ward councillors.
Users will also be able to view the Electoral Commission’s contact information and address, report the voting station issues, follow the Electoral Commission’s social media feeds on Twitter and Facebook to keep up to date with developments as they happen.
The application is available to download on Google Play and the App Store.
“We are thrilled to introduce the mobile application together with Accenture Digital, one of Accenture’s business units. The application will make the voting information and process accessible to all voters, especially young people who will be taking part in the Municipal Elections for the first time this year,” says Dr Nomsa Masuku’ deputy chief electoral officer for outreach at the Electoral Commission.
According to Libisi Maphanga, CIO of the Electoral Commission, Statistics South Africa’s latest General Household Survey shows an increase in the number of South Africans accessing the Internet with the main driver being smartphones penetration (which stands at over 40%).
“As a result of this growing trend, South Africans are demanding easy and personalised experiences whenever they need them and in realtime. I’m pleased to proclaim that we are now able to put voters first and provide them with these experiences,” he says.
“The digital evolution is exposing customer-centricity and it is time to truly put the citizen experiences at the heart of the organization,” says Willie Schoeman, MD: technology at Accenture. “Consumers are more demanding than before. Their expectations are a moving target.
“Building out the digital ecosystem to engage with citizens and consumers, is the primary vehicle to deal with this moving target. This application is a great example of a progressive organisation, like the Electoral Commission, doing just that.”