Supervisor of Elections Mohammed Saneem says they need to continuously find new ways to verify the voter list to ensure that the list does not get bloated with people who are not entitled to vote or deceased persons, and that is why they need the birth certificate names on the voter cards.
While speaking during the fijivillage Straight Talk with CFL News Director Vijay Narayan, Saneem says the voter list is the primary document that allows people the transaction, which is people’s right to vote.
When questioned by Narayan on why the Fijian Elections Office did not see it as a requirement from the beginning to register people with their birth certificate name to save the hassle, Saneem says an election is an continuous development and an improvement process.
Saneem adds sometimes you may not get everything right on the first go but that does not mean that the election was faulty but you continue to improve.
Saneem also shared the story of a woman who could not vote in the 2018 general elections because she was recorded as deceased.
The Supervisor of Elections also says that registering with the birth certificate name reduces the risk of fraud.
He says if someone wants to use a name that is currently not on their birth certificate, the Elections Office can assist them with the name change. Saneem adds people can fill the form, give it to their office, the Elections Office will have it processed at the Births, Deaths and Marriages Office and after it is processed, the Elections Office will get the new birth certificate, prepare the new voter card, deliver it to the person or pick up from a point of contact.
He says this process is free of charge.
