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By Faizel Patel

Senior Digital Journalist


New app launched to measure party support – Here’s who is winning the ‘polls’ so far

Various social media platforms and apps are educating South Africans about misinformation and other election news


With less than a month before the national and provincial elections, South Africans will have more technology and apps at their fingertips to keep track of the polls.

The elections on 29 May are expected to be the most hotly contested since the dawn of democracy 30 years ago.

With various social media platforms also educating South Africans about misinformation and other election news, a new app has been launched to share sentiments during the polls.

Unveiled by Bedfordview Based App development company, In-Detail Advertising, the Vote South Africa Live Polling App is built to be a live virtual polling portal to see how your ward, municipality or province intends to vote in the upcoming 2024 general elections.

According to the company, Vote South Africa is an ongoing live online poll to discover what the public sentiment is around political representatives.

Here’s who is leading the national vote on the app

The users vote anonymously using their phone number as their digital ID and share their location to identify their voting area. Results can be viewed by ward, municipality or province.

The app is still in its infancy and has garnered less than 100 user votes so far, so should be taken with a pinch of salt.

But early votes on the app show the Democratic Alliance (DA) in the lead with 32 votes, followed by the EFF (18) and ANC (17).

Action SA has six votes so far, and the MK party has three.

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Informative tool

The app is free to use as an informative tool for political parties, news organisations and the general public.

As it is a live poll, users can change their vote anytime.

“Casting your virtual vote is fully anonymous as your phone number is your identity and your location is where your vote is counted,” said In-Detail Advertising.

“Now there is a way to understand what the voting support is like right down to ward level. Bridging the gap between the public and their representatives, it allows for a live and ongoing poll of the voting sentiment of the South African population.”

Features

Real-time voting results

Citizens can participate in live polls that reflect the current voting sentiment of the South African public. This real-time data offers valuable insight into the collective opinion of the nation. Users can change their vote at ANY time.

Secure and anonymous

While user verification is necessary to maintain the integrity of the polls, the app ensures user anonymity. Only the unique mobile number is used as a voting identity, and user accounts can be deleted at ANY time, ensuring complete control over personal data.

Geolocation

To ensure the authenticity of votes, users are required to verify their location within the borders of South Africa. It also maps their vote to a province, municipality and ward. This feature safeguards the accuracy and reliability of the polling data.

Availability

Vote South Africa is available as a free download on all major app stores, including the Apple App Store and Google Play Store.

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