By James Wachai
IT’s major TV networks that collate and then announce to viewers the results of the presidential election in the U.S. This is because the U.S. does not have a national electoral body. Conducting elections is a state affair and each state has its own rules that govern the exercise.
A candidate harboring a thought of corrupting an election will have to come up with a masterplan to compromise 50 secretaries of state. Each compromised secretary of state, on the other hand, must figure out how to compromise tens of boards of elections within his/her jurisdiction.
How are TV networks able to project the winner of a presidential election? They have access to live election results data feeds from each state. They can see election officials count and tabulate election results in real time. These TV networks are very, very careful not to project a winner until they’re 99.9999999999% sure that is the case. To these TV networks, reporting election results accurately is a solemn duty that they take seriously.
As developing countries embrace technology in the conduct of elections, serious media houses should fight for their space in the exercise.
