How your vote is kept secret

As a means of ensuring free and fair elections, the secret ballot voting method guarantees voter confidentiality and helps to protect them from any attempts to influence their decision through bribery and intimidation.

South Africa’s elections are just around the corner. Have you ever wondered how the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) keeps your votes secret... and protected?

According to Kate Bapela, Chief Communication Officer at the IEC, there are a number of measures taken to safeguard the secrecy of a vote. “Firstly a voter votes in secret in a voting station behind a secure voting compartment," says Bapela.

“Furthermore, every voter must present herself or himself in person in order to vote; this ensures that there is no impersonation of one by another... Also photographic equipment is outlawed at voting stations, precisely with a view to ensuring that the vote remains a secret.”

Interestingly, Bapela goes on to explain that ballot papers are not numbered “and therefore, no association of a ballot can be made with a voter” she says.

This is not the case in the United Kingdom, where each ballot paper is individually numbered. When a person casts their vote their voter registration number is written down on the counterfoil of the ballot paper, which also contains the original ballot paper number. If someone were able to gain access to the counterfoils then the secrecy of the ballot would be compromised.

The numbering of ballots in the UK is considered to be a necessary security measure; in the face of a fraud allegation, the Election Court could order for ballot papers to be matched to voters. However ever since the secret ballot was introduced to the UK in 1872, the Election Court has yet to make such an order.

Back in South Africa, People’s Assembly wanted to know how the IEC ensures that ballots remain secure and that ballot boxes are not tampered with after citizens have cast their votes.

“Ballot boxes used at a voting station are kept in the open in full view of electoral officials, party agents, observers and voters, throughout the voting process. At the end of voting, the station is immediately converted to a counting station and counting proceeds until a result has been determined for the voting station concerned”, explained Bapela.

“Ballot boxes are then sealed and moved to a storage facility after results have been made known”.

South Africa’s national and provincial elections take place on 7 May 2014.