The Acting Mission Director of the U.S. Agency for International Development in Liberia, Barbara Dickerson, says the Voter Registration Update is critical for Liberians to continue to exercise their right to vote.
In remarks at the launch of the Civic and Voters Roll update, Acting Director Dickerson said there are an estimated 400,000 Liberians who are eligible to either re-register or are first time voters and challenged civic and voter educators to find every eligible Liberian who hasn’t already registered and help them understand why it is so important that they participate in the electoral process.
She said changes have occurred since the last election and called for them to be reflected in the voter roll update. “As you know, Liberia has changed dramatically since 2011. People have moved; Liberians have returned from abroad; and children have matured. In anticipation of the upcoming Special Senatorial Elections, it is critical that the voter roll be updated to reflect the Liberia of 2014, not of 2011”.
Director Dickerson said she was aware that keeping the voter roll maintained, updated, and accurate was no easy task, and she applauded the efforts of the National Elections Commission (NEC) for undertaking a nationwide campaign informing citizens about the upcoming voter roll update. She said the U.S. Government values the important work of the NEC as it endeavors to ensure free, fair, and credible elections at all levels of governance.
Earlier, National Elections Commission Chairperson, Counsellor Jerome Korkoyah praised USAID and other partners for supporting the NEC in initiating programs geared toward ensuring full participation of citizens in the voter registration update.
In partnership with USAID, the National Elections Commission is using radio and has trained community radio journalists to get information out to voters ahead of the upcoming October 2014 Senatorial Elections. Through a weekly call-in radio program ‘’Elections and You,’’ citizens across the country learn firsthand about the electoral process and its relevance to them as voters.
