The Electoral Commission has released a document that argues for a new voters’ register and in spite of all the brilliant arguments coming directly from the commission, one that emanates from a recent announcement by Microsoft is the biggest reason yet—the old BVR kits run on Windows 7, an outdated operating system the American software giant has cut loose.
Windows 7 users who don’t upgrade to the new version will no longer be able to get Microsoft’s security updates or fixes, or technical support for any issues, leaving your computer at greater risk from viruses and malware. While Windows 10 users have experienced a number of bugs over the years, upgrading remains the best option for keeping your computer safe, according to tech analysts at CNET.
Ghana’s Electoral Commission is shelling out a ton of reasons to get new machines—VMS kits—but the real issue is that if the upgrade is not done to Windows 10 by getting the new machines, our voting kits will be susceptible to hacking and manipulation by unscrupulous actors.
We have to understand that voting is a national security issue and the earlier we leave the business of keeping our democracy safe in the hands of the professionals we pay to protect it, we will end up shooting ourselves in the foot.
What actors and activists must push for instead is to make the machines upgradable so that we will not have to completely replace them with new hardware anytime there’s a software upgrade. Upgrading software is much cheaper but as things stand now, our only choice is to upgrade the hardware.
