The Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) announced that all vote counting has been completed and the process of capturing and validating the votes has now commenced.
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‘The process of results compilation entails ensuring accuracy and validation of the results,’ stated the IEC.
‘This process involves scanning each result slip to create an image of the result, double-blind capture of each result slip, and auditing each result slip by independent auditors. The result system was audited externally and parties had occasion to also audit.’
A result is only considered complete when a result slip has been scanned, captured in the results system, audited by independent auditors, and passed through the automated result system exception parameters.
The IEC expressed gratitude to the real heroes, the South Africans who stood in queues for hours to cast their votes and the electoral staff who have been working tirelessly to process the votes.
Once the results have been counted and finalised, the presiding officer and party agents will, in the presence of observers, sign the result slip, which is then placed in a tamper-evident bag and transported to the results capture centre.
At the results capture centre, a check and balance process ensues. This includes verifying that the result slip is correct, contains the details of the voting station and the presiding officer, as well as the voting station’s unique barcode. This information is then captured onto the system using the double-blind method.
Using the barcode, the results slip is scanned, and the results are electronically matched to the appropriate voting district.
External auditors will then audit the result slips to ensure the capturing was conducted correctly.
The results are processed through the IEC’s exception parameters. If an exception is flagged, the results will be investigated and subjected to a recapture process.
Once results pass the test, they become final and are made available to political parties, independent candidates, and the media.
After all results are finalised, the IEC will undertake the seat calculation process based on a prescribed formula. The full list of new public representatives will be handed over to the Chief Justice once the seat assignment is completed.
‘While this process is proceeding well, it is important to reflect that historically, in the first 24 hours, 80% of the results would have been finalised. However, the process in the NPE2024 has been slowed down by the third ballot, particularly in the metropolitan areas,’ the IEC said.
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Picture: Chris McGrath / Gallo Images