Electoral Commission and Accenture launch election app

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. They will 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 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,” said Nomsa Masuku‚ deputy chief electoral officer for outreach at the Electoral Commission.

Smartphone penetration

According to Libisi Maphanga, chief information officer at 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 real-time. I’m pleased to proclaim that we are now able to put voters first and provide them with these experiences,” he said.

“The digital evolution is exposing customer-centricity and it is time to truly put the citizen experiences at the heart of the organisation. 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,” said Willie Schoeman, managing director technology at Accenture.

The application is available to download on Google Play and App Store.