Georgetown: The Electoral Assistance Bureau (EAB) is appealing to party agents and Polling Day staff to be on the lookout for persons who might have registered twice and also expressed concerns over claims that the voters’ list is bloated.
In a statement last week, the EAB also announced that it would no longer conduct a “limited voters’ list test. The EAB said that at the time of the announcement, it did mention that “Given the limited time available, EAB will need the support of the two main contesting groups, and GECOM, for this test to be done quickly and with quality”. However, the body said each passing day reduces the quality of an exercise as complex as a voters’ list test. “Unfortunately, the needed information was not provided in sufficient time to permit the announced test to be completed. It is, therefore, with regret that EAB announces the cancellation of its planned testing of the 2015 voters’ list. EAB wishes to thank all those who pledged their time and financial resources, which would have permitted the test to be conducted at a significantly reduced cost.”
According to the EAB, the missed opportunity to independently test the voters’ list deprives the electorate and political parties of added assurance regarding the level of integrity within this critical element of the electoral process. “Notwithstanding this missed opportunity, EAB observes, reminds and queries as follows: institutions that possess a view that there are discrepancies with the list should provide its evidence to GECOM so that the appropriate actions could be taken by the Commission and concerns could be addressed.”
The body said that it was essential for all political parties and GECOM to remain vigilant and observe all protocols for the integrity of the elections process. “Therefore, at this stage, the EAB is reminding all parties involved that the registration process included Scrutineers from the political parties whose role was to ensure that everyone who registers is verified. And further vigilance is required to ensure that no one person can vote twice or the information for dead or migrated people are not used to vote in their stead.”
According to the EAB, multiple sources allege that the current list appears bloated with the names of persons who have either died or migrated. “All parties, GECOM and stakeholders are aware of this. We understand that GECOM has been working to improve its methodology to easily remove persons who have died from the list. The difficulty lies with those who are no longer resident in Guyana. GECOM and the parties in the National Assembly should commit to solving this challenge after May 11.”
Regarding fingerprint matching, EAB said the Cogent exercise results should be disclosed, noting that it has been alleged that the list is padded. “One possible way of padding a list is through multiple-registrations. However, GECOM should have conducted an exercise with the company Cogent, where fingerprints are electronically cross-checked to ensure that no fingerprint is on the list more than once. GECOM can usefully disclose to the public the results of the fingerprint matching exercise for 2015.”
However, the EAB said party polling agents can deter and detect fraud on Election Day, noting that notwithstanding all of the above, “it is the duty of polling officials to comply with the polling regulations and for party agents to ensure that they do so. Adherence to Polling Day procedures is the best defence against any attempt to abuse the voters’ list. The onus is on political parties to recruit and train their agents early and to the highest standards, sufficient to cover 100 per cent of the polling stations, so that the potential for impersonation, multiple voting and other electoral crimes are minimised.”
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