Advancing Democracy: How Technology Is Safeguarding a More Credible and Transparent Elections in Liberia

 

In the ever-evolving landscape of democracy in Liberia, the integrity of the voters' roll is fundamental to the conduct of free and fair elections. To uphold this essential principle, the National Electoral Commission (NEC) of Liberia is shifting to embrace technology in almost all aspect of its work.

In preparation for the crucial October 2023 elections, the NEC has harnessed the power of Biometric Voter Registration (BVR) technology to ensure a credible and peaceful outcome of the elections. This marks a historic shift from traditional methods. This innovative approach utilizes advanced technology to capture and validate unique biometric data for each voter and elimninate past issues of double registration and voting which has marred the previous Liberia elections.

The Move to Biometric Voter Registration (BVR)

The 2023 elections in Liberia signifies a paradigm shift, replacing the traditional paper-based Optical Mark Recognition (OMR) technology with the cutting-edge Biometric Voter Registration (BVR) system. This transformation, many have described, as an embodiment of progress and a commitment by key stakeholders in ensuring a credible voter roll.

The BVR technology involves the measurement and analysis of distinct physical characteristics of voters to confirm their identities and determine their eligibility to cast their votes. This technological advancement is specifically designed to combat identity theft, prevent multiple voting, and thwart various fraudulent tactics used to manipulate the voting process.

One of the pivotal steps in utilizing BVR technology is the comprehensive deduplication process. The NEC employed advanced algorithms to identify and eliminate multiple registrations and detect suspected underage registrants. The procedure involves comparing facial recognition data, fingerprints, names, birth dates, and other particulars against the entire applicant database. Any potential duplicates and underage registrations were flagged for manual verification by NEC staff.

From the BVR exercise, the NEC recorded a total of 2,498,904 registrants, with 27,192 identified as duplicates and 529 as suspected underage registrants across all 15 Liberia counties.

Coupling technology with manual verification processes, NEC encouraged Liberian citizens to participate in the process thereby allowing voters to object to the inclusion of ineligible persons on the Provisional Registration Roll (PRR).

Although the National Electoral Commission (NEC) of Liberia employed the biometric technology during the registration of voters, it is however unclear if the technology will be used during voting to verify voters before they cast their ballots which is a significant step in ensuring credible elections.

Background

Liberia goes to the polls on the 10^th of October. This will be the West African country’s fourth elections since the end of the civil war in 2003. Key issues at stake in this election are high inflation, corruption and falling living standards.
19 candidates are running against incumbent president George Weah. Notable among Weah contenders are former Vice President Joseph Boakai and businessman Alexander Cummings.

To be declared winner in Tuesday’s election, a candidate must achieve 50% of the total valid votes cast plus one additional vote.