By Gloria Wleh
Africa-Press – Liberia. Alieu Glo, a motorcyclist, and resident of Montserrado County, electoral district 4, has lost his voter registration card and cannot afford the US$5 replacement fee prescribed by the National Elections Commission.
Sitting on his motorbike under the scorching sun outside the NEC’s Magistrate Office at the Paynesville Town Hall, the young man is concerned that his chances of exercising his democratic right to vote might have vanished into thin air.
That is unless he pays the US$5 replacement fee.
According to Alieu, upon entering the replacement center, he was asked by workers of the NEC to pay US$5 before he could be issued a replacement voter card. He explained that he was told to pay the said amount because he was not careful in preserving the card he was given.
Glo terms the NEC’s decision as thoughtless, saying that there should not be any fees attached to the replacement of voting cards because the act will deter and disenfranchise registered voters from exercising their democratic rights.
He has been pleading with the NEC to freely release his voting card, saying he cannot afford the said amount to replace his lost card because the bike he rides is not for him, and aside from that, he has other responsibilities to cater to.
“Well, whose fault is that?” you might ask.
The answer to this obvious question might depend on how many individuals have lost their voter registration cards.
Priscilla Saye from District 3, Montserrado County, also lost her VR card — in her case, it was stolen. She feels frustrated to pay any money to have it replaced.
She stated that the VR card should be replaced free of charge to ensure that registered voters participate in the upcoming elections.
Another registered voter of Montserrado County District 10, T. Boy Dahn, said NEC demanding voters make payments to replace their lost or stolen cards should not be the case.
Dahn maintained that the act will only stop registered voters who lost their cards from going to get replacements.
Expressing his disappointment with the replacement fees, he believes that it is also wrong for all of the districts in Montserrado County to have only two (2) centers for VR card replacements.
According to Louis Yale from electoral district 2, Montserrado County, the venue for the card replacements was not announced sufficiently, something he said is going to cause many to be unaware of where to replace their damaged or lost cards.
He expressed displeasure about the process not being more decentralized, saying also that the payment of US$5 could deprive other registered voters of voting.
From electoral district 6, Florence Anderson had also gone to the Paynesville Town Hall for the same replacement issue.
Florence did not agree with Glo, Yale, Dahn, and others’ assertion on the payment of 5 USD. According to her, the money demanded by the NEC to replace the card is a good decision on the grounds that it will cause registered voters to be careful with their voting cards during the next elections.
She at the same time admonished those who are feeling disenchanted about the fees attached to see the overall interest of the country by paying the US$5 to vote for Liberia.
Responding to the voters’ concerns, the Magistrate for Upper Montserrado County, James Cordor, said the payment to replace the voting cards is the procedure of the National Election Commission.
According to Cordor, the NEC is not trying to disenfranchise anybody, but is doing everything possible to make sure everyone can go through the process successfully. Magistrate Cordo called on those feeling deprived to go through the process and get their voting cards.
Cordor, however, admitted that NEC did not carry out enough awareness about the centers for the voter card replacement process, a situation he blamed for registered voters not knowing where to go to replace their lost or damaged or lost voting cards.
He also clarified that the card replacement center for Upper Montserrado County should have been at the magistrate’s office in Bentol City, Upper Montserrado County, but was taken to Lower Montserrado County because of poor internet connectivity.
Section 15.1 and 2 of the Voters Registration Regulations state that “the NEC may announce replacement periods for lost or damaged voter registration cards. And the voter seeking to have his or her card replaced must appear in person at the designated replacement center and pay the applicable fee as prescribed by law.”
Although the fee that the NEC is requesting is lawful, the question remains: how much value do voters place on their voter registration card — the representation of their right to participate in the democratic process? The likes of Glo, Yale, Dahn, and others appear unsure. The scourge of property appears as a barrier to them affording the required US$5; yet not having their card replaced at all is a loss they could never get over.
Yet, for others, especially those susceptible to involvement in voter trucking, their voter cards may be worth just a few dollars more.
How much is your voter card worth? It depends on who you ask.
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