The Breakdown of Card Readers and Verbal Violence at the 2015 Elections in Lagos

Abstract

The 2015 Nigerian general elections represented the first attempt to use technology to prevent electoral fraud. Its adoption by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) was initially met with disapproval and during the elections its malfunctioning generated widespread voters’ resentment. This article examines the influence of the breakdown of smart card readers (SCR) onvoters’ reactions towards the 2015 general elections in Lagos. It used a quantitative method to collect data from 315 randomly selected respondents using a multi-stage sampling approach. Focus group discussion and in-depth interviews provided complementary qualitative data. Logistic regression analysis indicated that the breakdown of SCRs was significantly related to the use of offensive language. The study found that the INEC’s use of unskilled card handlers during the elections caused verbal violence. Hopefully the employment of skilled card handlers in future elections will reduce the breakdown and prevent the potential occurrence of violence.