The Malawi Electoral Commission has assured stakeholders that the recently procured Election Management Devices (EMD)s have multiple layers for enhanced security set to deliver a credible, free and fair elections.
The Commission’s Chairperson Annabel Mtalimanja made the remarks during an engagement with Civil society organisations (CSO’s and development partners to demonstrate the voter registration process and test the devices to solidify their usability in the upcoming 2025 general elections.
Among others, the state of the art gadgets will be used in voter registration, transfers, verification exercises and will ensure credibility of the processes and improve voter registration with every centre having two devices one for use and the other for standby.
During the meeting, stakeholders wanted to know which other countries have used them and the MEC Chairperson cited Kenya, Uganda, South Africa and Zambia.
The audience also queried on the equipment’s safety from hackers and the electoral body touted its multiple layers where data is being deposited adding that political party representatives and CSOs and other interested parties will all be there.
Only configured flash drives and given necessary protocols will be the ones that will be accepted by the gadgets as a security measure with the data encrypted using the best technology.
“Our assurance is that the machine and the system are secure so all the data is going to be secure because one of the issues that came up one of the highlights was surrounding security, but we can assure Malawians that the machines are secure and the system is secure as well” assured Mtalimanja
According to law, an eligible voter is one who presents with a National Identity card or proof of national registration with the National Registration Bureau (NRB) hence appealed to CSO’s to help in sensitizing the public to ensure that every eligible voter has taken time to register with NRB.
Those with an expired ID will be still be registered and during the interface, one of the participants presented an expired one to ascertain if indeed what MEC was stating is practical and was able to get registered.
Additionally, currently there’s a mop up ID exercise being conducted by the NRB with the MEC Chairperson assuring that no voter will be disenfranchised
On fears of underage voters being registered, the Commission disclosed that the gadgets have been configured in a way that those below 18 will be rejected by the system so too with those attempting multiple registration.
Mtalimanja indicated that the transfer window will close adding they cannot leave it open indefinitely otherwise it can be prone to abuse.
She stressed that no registered voter will not be turned back on the premise of network challenges stating that connectivity will be needed mostly during transmission of results.
Maggie Kathewera Banda Executive Director for Women’s Legal and resource centre (WOLREC) and Board Chair for NGO-Gender Coordination Network acknowledged that Malawi is living in a technologically advanced world hence an adoption of such kind of technology is commendable.
She however noted that people need to be oriented in terms of how the technology is going to work and capture data.
“There was also an explanation to do with people with disabilities, how they are going to be assisted. There was an issue to do with accessibility of areas which are hard to reach areas all that was well explained in terms of how MEC has put in place mechanisms to ensure that each and every interested voter is able to register and then cast their vote after that.
“So I think the explanations that have been provided by MEC they have really clarified a lot of issues that we’re hearing about the machine all about the technology that is being used”
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