MONROVIA – Senator Edwin Melvin Snowe of Bomi County has expressed doubts over the applicability of a voter Biometric registration process being introduced by the National Elections Commission a few months before the 2023 presidential and general elections.
In a communication to his colleagues in the Senate, he asked them to prevail on the NEC by inviting them to appear before them to explain the process and what are the possibilities of it being effective for the 2023 elections. His request was granted.
“We don’t intend to interfere with the work of the National Elections Commission, but we must exercise our oversight so that things don’t go out of hand that we will not be able to handle. The cost is exorbitant, that’s one thing, and another thing is can they assure us that if we do the Biometric Liberians will be able to go the pools and vote biometrically,” he said.
According to the Bomi lawmaker, Liberians need assurance about how they will vote on election day and that can be possible if the NEC demonstrates what the biometric will look like prior to 2023. He said, experiences of biometric usage in Nigeria, Togo and Sierra Leone have worked well and it almost caused a problem.
“In most parts of Liberia, we don’t have internet connectivity or network. If we don’t arrest this situation and things go wrong it will be disastrous,” he said.
Senator Johnathan Boy-Charles Sogboie of River-Gee County said his concern is about how the procurement process is being handled. He also expressed fear about the applicability of biometric voter registration.
The NEC plan Biometric process
The National Elections Commission of Liberia in early September announced its preliminary plans for 2023, which include transitioning from optical mark recognition for secure voter registration to fingerprint biometrics
NEC Chairperson Davidetta Browne Lansanah said during a press conference that portable tablets with fingerprint scanners will be used to capture thumbprints for a biometric voter registry. The biometrics could also be used for deduplication and the prevention of impersonation.
Facial images will also be collected, and the NEC will attempt to reduce the volume of incorrect voter data in the system.
Following duplication, biometric voter registration cards will be issued from registration centers.
A biometric voter registration initiative is slated to start on December 15, 2022, and conclude on March 17, 2023. The process will be held in three regional phases, according to the announcement. During each phase, the region’s registration center will be open for three weeks.
Before they begin, the NEC is planning to develop custom registration software, set up servers, have staff trained by the technology vendor, and take possession of imported biometric hardware.
The Commission has budgeted US$61 million for Liberia’s 2023 elections.
Liberia’s NEC and National Identification Registry engaged with political parties earlier this year to inform them that the biometric registry was being planned.
Browne Lansanah has been facing prosecution over allegations that an expensive contract for fever-screening biometric scanners was improperly awarded.
