Voters Registration Regulations Sept. 10 2023_Signed
VOTER REGISTRATION REGULATIONS
Table of Contents
Preamble
General Provisions Sections 1-3
Registration Centers Section 3-5
Registration Process Sections 6-8
Exhibition Period Sections 9-14
Appeals Sections 15-16
Persons Allowed in the Registration Centers Section 17-20
Final Registration Roll Sections 21-23
Offences during Registration Process Sections 24-27
Amendments and Entry into Force Sections 28-29
1- 0. Authority
The National Elections Commission, pursuant to authority granted it by the Liberian Constitution as well as the Elections Law, hereby adopts and issues the following Voter Registration Regulations.
2- 0. Applicability
2.1. These Regulations shall apply to all Voter Registration conducted by the National Elections Commission (NEC).
2.2. These Regulations shall not be construed to limit additional requirements imposed by any provisions of the New Elections Law and/or relevant decisional law.
3- 0. Citation
3.1. These Regulations may be cited as the “Voter Registration Regulations of 2022.”
4- 0. Definitions
4.1. The following words, terms and phrases shall have the meanings ascribed to them herein, except where the context clearly indicates a different meaning:
a) “Voter Registration” means an exercise conducted by the NEC to register eligible Liberian citizens to formulate the Final Registration Roll (FRR).
b) “Applicant” means a person who during the registration exercise presents him/herself at a Registration Center to be registered.
c) “Elections Law” means the New Elections Law of 1986.
d) “Magistrate” means a person employed and assigned by the NEC to serve as Magistrate of Elections in the assigned districts/County.
e) “NEC” or “Commission” means the National Elections Commission.
f) “Political Party” means an association that has been duly registered/accredited by the NEC to function as a political party.
g) “Provisional Registration Roll (PRR)” means the roll which contains particulars of the voters registered during the Voter Registration Period, but which roll is not yet certified by the NEC as the Final Registration Roll.
h) “Final Registration Roll (FRR)” means the final roll of registered voters certified by the NEC which is kept in the NEC prescribed form that includes the biodata, photo, name, gender and residence of each voter.
i) “Claim” is a written application for the correction; inclusion; or objection to a name appearing on a registration roll;
j) “Registrar” means the person designated by the NEC to supervise the activities of the registration team at the voter registration center.
k) “Registration Center” means a place designated by the NEC where applicants go to be registered.
l) “Registration Card” means the biometric identification card issued by the NEC to each voter, bearing the voter’s particulars including photo, name, county, center code and others.
m) “Representative” means an agent of an association, political party or organization accredited by the NEC to observe the Voter Registration.
n) “Liberian Traditional Leader” means a traditional leader recognized by the Ministry of Internal Affairs;
5.1. A Liberian citizen, who is 18 years of age or above and is not otherwise disqualified by law, shall have the right to register during the voter registration period.
5.2. A person must register at the voter registration center established for the locality where he or she ordinarily resides.
5.3. No person shall register more than once during a registration period.
6-0. Registration Centers
6.1. The NEC may establish as many registration centers as deemed necessary.
6.2. The NEC shall publicly announce and use other reasonable means to publish the names and locations of the registration centers.
6.3. The 2022- 2023 voter registration exercise, during which the biodata information of each registrant will be captured, will be done on a regional basis as announced by the NEC.
6.4. The location and arrangement of the registration centers shall, to the extent which is reasonable and practical, be accessible to all including persons with disabilities.
6.5. There shall be no political propaganda, debate, distribution or posting of political materials inside the registration center or within 100 feet of the registration center.
6.6. Representatives/observers of registered political parties, associations, media, organizations, and special guests accredited by the NEC may observe the registration process in keeping with the guidelines established by the NEC.
6.7. Representatives/observers shall not interfere with the voter registration exercise.
6.8 Every representative/observer shall display at all times the accreditation card issued by the NEC. The registrar may request the representative/observer to provide additional identification.
6.9 Representatives/observers shall not use camera, video recorder or any other recording device inside the registration center.
§ 7-0. Registration Staff
7.1. No person who is a member of a political party shall work as a registration staff, unless he/she denounces his or her affiliation with said party.
§ 8-0. Registration Process
8.1. An applicant must appear in person at a registration center established for the locality where he or she ordinarily resides.
8.2. The registration staff shall give preference to persons with disability; elderly; and pregnant women.
8.3. An applicant’s citizenship and age may be established through any one of the following:
a) Birth certificate;
b) Valid Liberian Passport;
c) Certificate of naturalization;
d) National identification card;
e) Voter registration card previously issued by NEC;
f) The sworn testimony by two other registered voters who shall appear in person before the Registrar and confirm the applicant’s eligibility to register; or
g) Confirmation by a Liberian traditional leader who shall appear before the Registrar and confirm the applicant’s eligibility to register.
8.4. If an applicant meets the legal criteria for registration, the Registrar shall register the applicant and issue him/her a registration card.
8.5. If the applicant does not meet the legal criteria for registration, the Registrar shall issue the applicant a notice of rejection on the prescribed form, stating reason(s) for the rejection and informing the applicant of his/her right to appeal the rejection.
8.6. The Registrar may take all necessary steps in maintaining order at the registration center, including requesting the security, as a matter of last resort, to remove any person or persons who engages in disruptive conduct.
9.1. Any person who is aggrieved by a rejection of the Registrar may, within 48 hours after receipt of the rejection notice, file a written appeal to the Magistrate of Elections.
9.2. If the Magistrate determines that the appeal has merit, the applicant shall be registered as provided for in these regulations.
9.3. If the Magistrate denies/dismisses an appeal, the aggrieved applicant may, within 48 hours of the decision, appeal in writing to the Board of Commissioners. A record shall be kept of all appeals that are accepted or rejected by the Magistrate of Elections.
9.4. A person aggrieved by the decision of the Board may appeal the matter to the Honorable Supreme Court not later than seventy- two (72) hours after the decision is rendered.
§ 10-0. Exhibit of the Provisional Registration Roll
10.1. The Provisional Registration Roll (PRR) shall be printed separately for each registration center, containing the voter’s particulars including but not limited to the voter’s identification number, biodata, and precinct code.
10.2. During the exhibition period, the PRR for each registration center shall be displayed at that center for public inspection. Each registrant is expected to verify his or her particulars on the PRR during this period. The NEC shall announce the date for the exhibition prior to its commencement.
§ 11-0. Corrections, Claims and Objections to the PRR
11.1. Any registrant whose information on the PRR is incorrect may make a request or claim for correction.
11.2. Any person who believes that he/she was registered during the registration period, but whose particulars do not appear on the PRR, may make a claim for inclusion.
11.3. Only a person with a valid Registration Card or a receipt issued by the NEC may make a claim for correction or inclusion of his or her name on the Registration Roll.
11.4. A political party or registered voter who has reason to believe that a person’s name appearing on the PRR is disqualified as per a judicial decision or does not ordinarily reside in the district so registered in, may file a challenge for the exclusion of said person from the registration roll. A registered voter may only make a challenge to a PRR displayed in his or her electoral district.
11.5. Correction, claim for inclusion or objection to inclusion on the PRR shall only be made during the exhibition period and shall be in writing.
§ 12-0. Receipt of Claims
12.1. The exhibition officer shall promptly forward all claims for Inclusion or objection to inclusion, to the Magistrate of Elections, who shall make determination thereof within the period specified by the Commission.
12.2. An Objector shall appear in person at the Magistrate office during the determination period as published for the hearing.
12.3. The Magistrate of Elections shall notify the person objected to about the hearing.
12.4. An Objector shall bear the burden of proof, and must provide evidence to prove his/her claim of objection during the hearing. The person objected to shall then have the opportunity to refute the Objection.
12.5. In the event that one or both of the parties are not present, the Magistrate upon proof of service, shall proceed with the determination of an objection.
§ 13-0. Determination of Claims
13.1. If the Magistrate of Elections determines that the objection is not valid, the reason(s) for the Magistrate’s determination shall be made available to the objector and recorded in the prescribed form and the voter in question shall remain on the Provisional Registration Roll.
13.2. If the Magistrate of Elections determines that the objection is valid, the Magistrate shall:
a) Order that the person objected to be stricken off the registration roll, and the reason(s) for the Magistrate’s determination shall be recorded in the prescribed form;
b) The person objected to shall be informed in person if present, or through public notice if absent, informing him/her of the removal of his or her name from the voters roll and of the right to appeal the Magistrate’s decision to the Board of Commissioners;
c) A final decision of the removal of a person’s name from the registration roll shall be posted at the concern magisterial area.
§ 14-0. Appeals
14.1. A person aggrieved by a determination of the Magistrate of Elections may appeal such decision to the Board of Commissioners within 48 hours of the determination.
14.2. A person dissatisfied with the decision of the Board of Commissioners may appeal to the Honorable Supreme Court within seventy- two (72) hours after receipt of the Board’s decision.
§ 15-0. Replacement of Card
15.1. The NEC may announce replacement period for lost or damaged voter registration cards.
15.2. A voter seeking to have his or her card replaced, must appear in person at the designated replacement center, and pay the applicable fee as prescribed by law.
§ 16-0. Final Registration Roll (FRR)
16.1. The NEC may take necessary measures to clean/correct any inaccuracies discovered on the voter roll.
16.2. When the name of the same voter appears on the Registration Roll more than once, the NEC may order the removal of multiple entries to leave only one name.
16.3. The NEC shall arrange the Final Registration Roll separately for each polling place.
16.4. The Final Registration Roll shall be deemed to be the Registration Roll for the respective polling places and shall remain in force until rendered invalid by subsequent Final Registration Roll(s).
16.5. The Final Registration Roll (for each magisterial area) shall be available at that magisterial office for public inspection during normal business hours.
16.6. The NEC may provide stakeholders with electronic copies of the Final Registration Roll in a secured form.
16.7. No Final Registration Roll may be altered within thirty- day (30) prior to an election, except upon an order of the Supreme Court of Liberia.
§ 17-0. Entry Into Force
17.1. These Regulations shall take effect immediately upon publication by the NEC on its website at: www.necliberia.org