Aspirant Electoral Court judge believes e-voting in SA inevitable

JOHANNESBURG - An aspirant Electoral Court judge said he believes that electronic voting in South Africa is inevitable.

Judge Leicester Adams from the Johannesburg High Court appeared before the Judicial Service Commission (JSC) on Tuesday.

He is the only candidate being interviewed for the Electoral Court bench.

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The court faced the recent general elections with only two judges.

Adams had a brief feature in the hot seat on Tuesday morning, with commissioners questioning him about his year-long acting stint at the Electoral Court, his previous judgments and the court hosting virtual hearings.

But it was Minister of Justice Mmamoloko Kubayi who asked about his sentiment on electronic voting.

"What is your perspective in this regard in terms of upholding the integrity of our electoral system?"

"I think it's inevitable that at some point we need to progress towards digital and e-voting, but we must obviously be alive to the risks involved," Adams responded.

Meanwhile, the Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) is exploring electronic voting for polls to come, and it is seeking advice from countries that have taken that route.