{"id":436658,"date":"2011-06-06T08:57:09","date_gmt":"2011-06-06T08:57:09","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.ghanamma.net\/2011\/06\/06\/voter-registration\/"},"modified":"2011-06-06T08:57:09","modified_gmt":"2011-06-06T08:57:09","slug":"voter-registration","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2011\/06\/06\/voter-registration\/","title":{"rendered":"Voter Registration"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The Daily Observer<\/a> (Banjul)<\/p>\n

3 June 2011<\/p>\n

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editorial<\/p>\n

In what could be described as a demonstration of commitment towards ensuring that the election process continues to be free and fair, the chairman of the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) Alhaji Mustapha L Carayol recently conducted a nationwide tour of registration centres to get firsthand information on what is going on at the centres.<\/p>\n

Though his assessment of the general voter registration was generally positive, he however called on people to turn out in large numbers to get their voter’s cards; he also raised eyebrows on the manner in which attestations are given to people not in possession of proofs of their Gambian citizenship.<\/p>\n

We join the IEC boss in calling on all Gambians to turn out in large numbers to register so that when the 2011 electoral cycle begins, we can collectively as citizens of this sovereign nation exercise our franchise. Voter registration plays a crucial role in our democratic process. The fact that each vote counts, is the basis for full participation by Gambians in determining their choice of government. If you are not registered to vote …please do so as soon as possible.<\/p>\n

We also deem it prudent to echo the IEC chairman’s strong warnings to those who are attesting for under-age people to acquire this important national document. Of course by law, every Gambian of full grown age and of sound mind is entitled to get the voter’s card. This is precisely why the laws of the country make provision for elders of communities to attest for their people who are not in possession of their national identification documents so that they can acquire the card.<\/p>\n

However, it is a criminal offence to attest for minors or any other person not eligible for the card. The elders of communities and all those attesting for others must be aware of that fact and also base their attestations on truth and justice. After all, the elections are an entirely Gambian affair, there is no reason why we should ruin the process. Those who indulge in double registeration are also committing an offence punishable by law. Such actions must be totally avoided and discouraged by all and sundry.<\/p>\n

For citizens to exercise their democratic right to vote there must be a comprehensive and inclusive electoral register and this must be carefully maintained to ensure that each eligible citizen is registered to vote once and only once. A voter’s list makes it possible to separate two of the most important functions of the election authority: verifying voter eligibility and controlling the legitimacy of the balloting process. The list may also be used in voter education, and may be provided to political parties and candidates to aid them in their campaigns.<\/p>\n

By confirming that voters have met all eligibility requirements, the voters list helps confer legitimacy on the electoral process. Conversely, the legitimacy of the process will immediately be called into question if there are problems with voter registration, and particularly with the integrity of the voters list. Our voter registration process is democratic and representative because it provides equal opportunity to participate through an all-inclusive mechanism. Let us therefore act according to its demands.<\/p>\n

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\nVoter Registration<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Daily Observer (Banjul) 3 June 2011 editorial In what could be described as a demonstration of commitment towards ensuring that the election process continues to be free and fair, the chairman of the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) Alhaji Mustapha L Carayol recently conducted a nationwide tour of registration centres to get firsthand information on what is going on at the centres. Though his assessment of the general voter registration was generally positive, he however called on people to turn out in large numbers to get their voter’s cards; he also raised eyebrows on the manner in which attestations are given to people not in possession of proofs of their Gambian citizenship. We join the IEC boss in calling on all Gambians to turn out in large numbers to register so that when the 2011 electoral cycle begins, we can collectively as citizens of this sovereign nation exercise our franchise. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-436658","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard"],"yoast_head":"\nVoter Registration - Ghanamma.com<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2011\/06\/06\/voter-registration\/\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:title\" content=\"Voter Registration - Ghanamma.com\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:description\" content=\"The Daily Observer (Banjul) 3 June 2011 editorial In what could be described as a demonstration of commitment towards ensuring that the election process continues to be free and fair, the chairman of the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) Alhaji Mustapha L Carayol recently conducted a nationwide tour of registration centres to get firsthand information on what is going on at the centres. 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