By Ibrahim J. Conteh
The Electoral Commission of Sierra Leone (EC-SL) will commence the 2022 voters’ registration exercise as proclaimed by His Excellency the President for the 2023 Presidential and Parliamentary elections scheduled to take place in June 2023. The exercise is slated for 3rd September to 4th October 2022 for all eligible voters to register throughout the country.
Prior to the launching of the 2022 voters’ registration exercise, the Director of Media and Communication – Electoral Commission of Sierra Leone, Raymond A.M. George disclosed in an interview with this medium at the Commission’s headquarters, Tower Hill in Freetown that all is set to commence the voters’ registration process explaining that in electoral processes there are three main phases, namely pre-electoral, electoral and post-electoral phases noting that the voters’ registration exercise is an indication that the commission is wrapping up the pre-electoral phase which is the last of activities within the pre-electoral phase after which is the electoral phase which includes nomination, campaign, polling and counting and announcement of the results.
He maintained that since the proclamation of the date for the 2023 elections by the President, the Commission have been working assiduously to ensure that they achieve the voters’ registration exercise within the stipulated time frame adding that they started off with the procurement of equipment and other logistics needed for the exercise revealing, “we have received 2000 customized laptops which are currently uploading civil registration details of Sierra Leoneans that are 18 years and above and also those who will be 18 years on 23rd June 2023 as the law specifies that you must be 18 years of age on the eve of election day.”
The Director of Media further expounded that the Commission has conducted series of trainings in line with electoral best practices to enhance a transparent and credible 2023 elections, elucidating that the Commission has completed the Training of Trainers and district staff at regional level and would now commence the training of Ward Coordinators in all 16 electoral districts revealing that the 2022 Voters’ Registration would be officially launched on Wednesday 24th August 2022 at the Brookfields Hostel in Freetown.
Director George went on to reveal that 3630 voters’ registration centers across the country would be opened for the exercise during which 1815 centers would be opened for the first 15 days and the others the remaining 15 days citing that if there are 6 centers in a ward, three of them would be opened in the first 15 days and the second 15 days another three noting that there would a cut off period, the timeline to move equipment and materials, change center codes and then redeploy for the exercise to start for the other 15 days and dismissed rumors making the rounds that some centers would be opened whilst others would be closed.
He added that the Voters’ Registration Exercise will be targeting specifically two sets of people, namely those who have gone through the National Civil Registration Authority (NCRA) civil registration process with their information in their database articulating that this category of people would be placed in the voters’ register using the Voters Verification Kit (VVK) which is a computer programmed software that contains the details of citizens who are 18 years and above to vote in the 2023 elections are captured and the second set of people whose data are not on the NCRA civil register details and hence would be registered and placed in the voters’ register to be eligible to vote in the 2023 elections
Desmond George concluded that at the end of the voters’ registration exercise, the Commission would commence the exhibition process in November this year during which details of all those who have gone through the registration process would be displayed at the various centers for verification purposes for a final voters’ register that would be issued for distribution of voter identity cards in January 2023.