PNG Electoral Commission is working to introduce the use of voter identification card in the 2027 general elections and beyond.
This means that the electors will have to produce photo ID cards that must match the photo on the photo electoral roll before you are issued a ballot paper to cast your vote.
“It’s all about protecting and maintaining election integrity. This is the first step towards introducing a series of electoral reforms aimed at protecting our democracy and the electoral process.” Electoral Commissioner Simon Sinai said this when commenting at a national workshop held today in Port Moresby.
This workshop aimed to firm up the roles and responsibilities of the key divisions within the organisation in preparation for the roll out of the Photo Electoral Roll project.
“This Photo Electoral Roll will address long standing roll issues like inflated rolls with ghost names. It still eliminates so-called block voting, tribal voting and repeat voting by same voter. It is also aimed at restoring integrity in the electoral roll, so if you have been relaying on the inflated with roll with ghost names, those days are over once the photo electoral roll is established.” Sinai said.
Mr. Sinai said both headquarter staff and provincial election managers have been holding series of workshops in the past few months trying to firm up roles and responsibilities of key divisions within the organisation that will spearhead the specifics of the new photo electoral roll or the voter id project.
The policy division has been tasked to work on the overall policy framework which entails a broader, overarching structure that provides guidelines and principles for creating implementing and managing individual policies
“This policy frame work establishes the general approach, strategic direction and fundamental laws within which policies will be developed and applied,” said Electoral Commissioner Sinai.
He said the individual policy will be developed by ICT and the training divisions in seTting out the process and procedures and the training of people who will be required to implement the project out in the province
