Factors affecting successful implementation of m-voting in South Africa

Abstract

The phenomenon of the use of Information Technology in the election process is rapidly gaining momentum. This advancement referred to as e-voting offers advantages than the paper-based voting system. The field of e-voting and especially m-voting is mostly an undiscovered sphere and its true extensity is still mostly uncharted. Very few countries have successfully implemented m-voting and diminutive research has been conducted to investigate the factors and components that influence the successful implementation of m-voting in the African context. Successful m-voting implementation depends on a collection of factors, which may be unique given the local context where it is implemented. This study found it vital to interrogate the literature to investigate common factors that may influence the successful implementation of m-voting. This paper documents a systematic review of various research studies seeking to find factors for m-voting implementation and collates results from 11 studies, where 14 common factors were found. The factors discovered for m-voting implementation include: ICT infrastructure, legal and institutional factors, security and trust, acceptance and adoption of ICT, political factors, voter education, finances and many other factors. This study contributes to the body of knowledge by identifying key factors that affect the successful implementation of m-voting.