Electoral Commission goes mobile

Caption: Messages being sent out via mobile phones.

By MATTHEW VARI

Sunday, March 13, 2016 (Sunday Chronicle, PNG)

THE Electoral Commission is now using mobile communications to reach voters in preparation for its enrolment exercise around the country.

As part of its awareness rollout and used for the first time, the commission is confident of the reach the approach will have in ensuring it reaches the entire voting population.

Electoral Commissioner Patilias Gamato said that the decision was made in February to take advantage of the communication reach mobile commination provider Digicel has in the country.

“It is something that we decided on last month, our awareness team looked at different ways to send the message and I approved the initiative,” Commissioner Gamato said.

“We have not formally launched it and we’d like to do that. Is it cost effective, K250,000 considering the 3 million coverage of the population that is worth it within our means.”

“That is the most effective way in reaching the educated population and people in the rural areas that are connected by mobile phone.”

The SMS alerts will alert voters of the movements of electoral teams to various parts of the country when they conduct enrolments updating the electoral roll.

Under the arrangement for five months, a total 7 million messages will be sent to Digicel subscribers, with 5 million through the agreement and an additional 2 million from Digicel as part of community obligation.

Gamato appealed to the public to enrol, adding that even National Identity (NID) card holders are required also to enrol.

“I am appealing to the general public all around the country that even if you have an NID card and your name is not on the electoral roll you cannot vote.”

“You have to register on the electoral roll to come and vote, with the NID card only helping to identify yourself.”

He pointed out that the assumption made that the records with NID automatically sets holders up to vote is not true, however, NID card holder data has been incorporated within the enrolment form.

“What we are doing is that with the new electoral roll we have now allowed for the NID number on the new enrolment form.”

“Let’s say that when you haven’t registered but have a NID card and want to enrol- we will enter your NID number so that it is captured on our database. Enrolling through the electoral roll is by law,” the commissioner said.