Election Watch Campaign Calls for Volunteers to Safeguard South Africa's Electoral Integrity

Election Watch, an integral segment of the broader Defend Our Democracy movement, has taken a significant leap in ensuring that the upcoming national and provincial elections in South Africa set for 2024 are monitored for integrity and fairness. In a concerted effort to fortify the electoral process, the campaign is now actively onboarding civil society organizations and common citizens to take on a vigilante role during the elections.

Zaakirah Vadi, the driving force and executive director of Defend Our Democracy, delineated the Election Watch campaign as a robust local observer initiative, emphasizing the absolute necessity for observers to maintain independence. "Our goal is to facilitate a collection of impartial witnesses — those without political affiliations, be they from non-profit sectors or the public at large," Vadi emphasized. It's critical that these volunteers are provided unfettered access to the voting stations, from the moment of opening until the culmination of the counting process.

The functionality of the campaign relies heavily on an observation application, through which volunteers are expected to transfer real-time observations from their designated voting stations. This pivotal feedback mechanism is designed to provide a live stream of on-site reports across a wide array of voting venues.

Vadi elucidated that the consolidation and exhaustive analysis of this data is crucial to attest to the authenticity and integrity of the electoral activities. Election Watch has accordingly set its sights on ensuring the overall success of the elections, part of which includes mobilizing South African citizens to be proactive stewards of their democracy.

As the nation approaches the 30th anniversary of its democracy in 2024, Election Watch reflects on both the advancements and setbacks it has experienced, from transformative developments to the blemishes of state capture, corruption, and socioeconomic dilemmas.

Key focus areas for observers include the vigilance over high-risk scenarios akin to violence or prospects of voter coercion. Observers' roles also encompass the due diligence in conformation that each stage of the election is impartial and legitimate, the scrutiny of the counting operations, chronicling any disputes, and ensuring the availability of the final results sheet to all parties and independent observers.

Observers must secure a special accreditation, endorsed by the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) of South Africa, to partake in the monitoring process. "Accreditation by the IEC is paramount before any organization can operationally engage on election day," Vadi underlined.

Election Watch champions the spirit of volunteerism and cordially welcomes individuals to contribute to this civic exercise. The model it advocates leans on the support structures of the organizations involved, decentralizing the burden of logistical and financial resources.

The response from the IEC pertaining to the active facilitation of other civil society congregations by Election Watch has been tactically neutral, with a promise of a comprehensive list of accredited observers to be released in the near future.

The architect behind Election Watch, Vadi, envisions a formidable nationwide network of observers, colloquially termed "democracy volunteers," that could evolve and intensify, firmly establishing a grassroots presence at voting stations in readiness for subsequent elections in 2026 and beyond.