The implementation of tool for the facilitation of electoral processes in Nigeria: A case study of the independent national electoral commission

Abstract

In the last decade, the electoral processes were purely manual where the verification process is limited to physical checking from voters list to confirm the genuineness of the voters’ card. The process of verification was lengthy and cumbersome during the election, in most cases; there were problems of multiple registrations. The remarkable growth in Information and Communication Technology (ICT) to electoral processes created new voters verification opportunities for the electorates. This opportunity was known as Smart Card Reader (SCR). This research aims to investigate the implementation of Smart Card Reader (SCR) and its challenges during the verification process of election. Through Actor-network Theory the theoretical lens, the study will present the processes of the implementation looking at the challenges. This will include the Problems in Problematisation that started the implementation challenges, imperfect interessement that led way to more challenges and incompetence in the enrollment. This study proposes a case study methodology to understand the phenomenon under investigation. Multiple data collection methods; observation, interview, focus groups will be used to collect data. The research is expected to contribute to the IS research adding to the literature on ICT to electoral processes.