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Carter Center calls for electronic tabulation system for elections

May 29, 2017 News

– for more transparency and timely release of results

Guyana has a population of less than one million but yet when elections are held, the results are always declared days later.
The Carter Center believes that there should be a centralized electronic tabulation system to address this shortcoming.
This was the findings of the final report on Guyana’s 2015 General and Regional elections that the mission observed. The report said that “Consideration should be given to a centralized electronic tabulation system that includes double-blind data entry and clear procedures for the handling of quarantined materials to ensure the integrity of the tabulation process”.
The center believes this approach will ensure that the process is transparent, verifiable and will allow for the timely release of the elections results. Both the Peoples Progressive Party Civic (PPP/C) and the APNU+AFC political parties bemoaned the more than one week it took the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) to declare the winner of the last election.
The Carter Center believes that if this is corrected there will be few opportunities for persons to question the process that was used in the conduct of the electoral process.
As the country awaited the last election results many questions were raised and there was talk among both support bases of the two major political parties, of a plan to ‘fudge’ the results thereby ensuring a desired result.
Additionally, the centre is calling for a marriage of the tabulations conducted by the returning officers and the central tallying system. The centre believes this is necessary since it will add another layer to veracity of the results.
It is towards this end that the call is also being made for GECOM to institute the double-blind data entry system. This is where a computer compares the same entry made by two individuals by analysing each keystroke.
This system will alert officials if there are any attempts at imputing a dishonest figure and will leave little or no room for allegations of vote rigging.
Another issue that the report addressed is the transportation of ballot boxes and other elections related materials. The report advocates for the use of vehicles that state ‘this is the property of GECOM’.
The report finds that this approach will eliminate suspicions, conjectures and other fears among the population. Over the years there were many accusations of ballot boxes being transported by vehicles other than those owned by GECOM.
It is the findings of the report that such an approach will aid in bringing Guyana on par with electoral norms across the globe. Moreover, if the materials are transported by such vehicles, there should be a GECOM official present as well.
In this way there are scarce opportunities for persons with any sinister motive to come in contact with those materials.
The recommendations proffered by the Carter report will have to await constitutional reforms that the APNU+AFC administration promised during the last election campaign.  The next general and regional election is due in 2020.

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