Henry Karmo
Africa-Press – Liberia. Madam Davidetta Browne Lansanah, Chairperson of the National Elections Commission (NEC), revealed that despite the implementation of Biometric Voter Registration, voters will still be allowed to cast manual ballots as done in the past.
She made this announcement during a briefing with presidential aspirants on Wednesday, August 2, 2023. The event, organized by the NEC in collaboration with the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the United Nations (UN), aimed to familiarize presidential aspirants with the processes leading to the October 10 elections.
Madam Lansanah stated, “While the commission has transitioned to biometric voter registration, the voting in the October 10, 2023 general and presidential elections will be done manually as it has been in the past. While we strive to adopt global phenomena and technological advancements, the process will be done incrementally.”
Moreover, she reiterated the NEC’s commitment to conducting free, fair, and credible elections and urged leaders to work together in reducing pre-election tension.
Duplicate registrants were also addressed during the briefing. The NEC chair informed political leaders that the 27,000 duplicate records discovered during the Biometric Voter Registration process were created by 3,634 individuals who double registered. She clarified that this number represents multiple registrants and not a higher number of individuals, as some confusion had arisen in the media.
Furthermore, Madam Lansanah highlighted the efforts made by the NEC to investigate underaged registrants. Parents or guardians of suspected underaged registrants were identified for age verification, and the final count of registered voters participating in the October 10, 2023 elections stands at 2,471,671.
Regarding funding for the elections, the chairperson assured that the government is fully committed to providing the necessary funds. Most of the required funds have already been received, and the NEC is working with the government to secure the remaining amount.
The briefing served as a reaffirmation of the Board of Commissioners’ dedication to employing best practices to ensure a peaceful electoral process. It also aimed to enhance the understanding of aspirants about ongoing preparations for the election. The event was part of the NEC’s ongoing dialogue with stakeholders to promote inclusive, credible, peaceful, and non-violent elections, in line with the recently signed Farmington River Declaration by registered political parties and independent aspirants.
In addition, the NEC announced that the Civic and Voter Education (CVE) campaign for the October 10 General Elections will be launched on August 15 at the Commission headquarters in Monrovia. The campaign seeks to enhance the political participation of all eligible voters and will simultaneously be launched in the other 14 counties. Before the official kick-off of the indoor program, a parade in the principal streets of Monrovia will be held, led by the Chairperson and members of the Board of Commissioners of the NEC, alongside employees, temporary staff, and local and international partners.
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