As part of the electoral process that ultimately leads to the 7 March 2018 elections, voter identification card distribution started on Saturday 25 November 2017, in distribution centres nationwide. According to the National Electoral Commission (NEC), this 30-day exercise will end on the 24 December 2017.
The turnout on the first day of the distribution exercise was encouraging in some centres in Western Freetown. Though the process was peaceful and tranquil, in some areas it was a bit rowdy at the start when electorates failed to fall-in an orderly queue to collect their ID’s.
Constituency 129, Ward 439, Tengbeh Town, Distribution Officer, Mustapha Swarray, said, “The process is going on smoothly, notwithstanding the fact that there are hotheads who pop in from time-to-time. By and large it has been successful so far.” Swarray explained that the major challenges they are faced with was the sorting of the IDs, which were stacked in serials rather than alphabetically.
He said the elderly are given special preference so that they won’t stand in queue for too long.
Mutarr Williams, someone who’s looking forward to voting, said, “The process was very easy. I came to the centre and in less than a minute I was able to get my ID card. I registered because it is my civic right to do so. As a Sierra Leonean, we are also supposed to be in possession of an ID and also we should vote for the leader we are convinced that would rule us and provide the necessity we need as citizens.”
Senior citizen, Edgerton Smith, said the process was normal. He explained that though he is a senior citizen he had to wait in queue just to avoid conflict from others who might have been in the queue before him.
OG/25/11/17
By Ophaniel Gooding
Monday November 27, 2017.
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