The Senate has voted against a proposal seeking to make the electronic transmission of election results mandatory in the ongoing consideration of the Electoral Amendment Bill.
The lawmakers rejected an amendment to Clause 60(3) of the bill, which would have compelled presiding officers of the Independent National Electoral Commission to electronically upload polling unit results to the INEC Result Viewing Portal immediately after collation.
The rejected provision stipulated that results be transmitted in real time after the completion of Form EC8A, duly signed and stamped by the presiding officer and endorsed by party agents.
Instead, the Senate opted to retain the existing wording of the Electoral Act, which empowers INEC to determine the mode of transmitting election results.
The section provides that presiding officers shall transmit results, including the number of accredited voters and ballot outcomes, “in the manner prescribed by the Commission.”
The decision followed deliberations during plenary on Wednesday, as the upper chamber considered key provisions of the amendment bill.
Details later.