Phase one of the Biometric Voter’s Registration (BVR) exercise, which was held for 21 days in six of the 15 counties, ended yesterday, April 9, 2023.
Before the close of the exercise in those counties, the National Elections Commission (NEC), announced an extension of additional time to enable those who have not yet register in the named counties; Montserrado, Grand Bassa, Grand Cape Mount, Margibi, Gbarpolu and Bomi Counties respectively.
The exercise in the named counties started on Monday, March 20.
Phase II of the BVR is expected to begin in two weeks, according to the NEC, will be used to compile reports, retrieve equipment from the field and the pay off temporary workers.
The phase two exercise will get underway in the remaining counties which include Lofa, Bong, Nimba, Grand Gedeh, Rivergee, Maryland, Grand Kru, Sinoe and Rivercess from Tuesday, April 21 to Thursday, May 11, 2023.
Temporary staffers at centers visited on the concluding days appeared relaxed as compared to the first few days of the exercise when there was intense pressure on them couple with eagerness from the registrants to get register because the country was introducing new technology (biometric) for the first time in one of its political processes.
This paper yesterday toured various BVR centers like the Rally Time General Market; the Merry-Go-Round General Market; and the Garretson W. Gibson High School.
Others were the Monrovia Demonstration (Primary) School; Bassa Community Town Hall; the University of Liberia Capitol Hill Campus; the Charles D. B. King and James W. Pearson Primary Schools and Benson Streets as well as the Saint Semon Baptist School at Francis Chuchu Horton.
When this paper quizzed some of the temporary workers of the Commission about the number of persons that might have registered at their center, many of them refused to make disclosure on ground that they are not authorities of NEC to announced figure.
Notwithstanding, at Rally Time General Market, a staffer who preferred to remain anonymous informed this paper that over 15, 000 persons mainly young people of voting ages have gotten registered as compared to the elderly who perhaps might be reluctant with the country’s electoral processes.
The Merry-Go-Round General Market seems to have recorded about 20, 000.
It was observed at most of the centers that they could have recorded sizeable numbers of registrants, if not for the challenges of using the equipment, the lateness of field staff and distances of centers but most noticeably the restrictions by temporary staffers at those centers.
