The Electoral Commission (EC) has scheduled the compilation of transferred voters and proxy voters’ list for the 2020 presidential and parliamentary elections from Tuesday, October 20 to Thursday, October 22, 2020.
The Commission has explained that this is to afford all registered voters the opportunity to exercise their voting rights.
Students, members of the security services, the sick and those absent from the constituency have been considered for the move.
Transferred voters list
A statement from the EC indicated that a registered voter who is a student or a member of the security service on special duties and is a resident in a constituency, other than that in which he or she registered, may apply to the returning officer of the constituency where he/she is resident for his/her name to be entered onto the transferred voters’ list of a polling station in that constituency.
It therefore directed all applicants under this category to provide physical proof of the new residence and “shall sign a declaration by the Returning Officer before assignment to a new polling station.”
“Note that the transferred voters’ window is available to students and personnel of security agencies only. As such, each of these categories of persons is required to provide a form of identification to authenticate their status,” it maintained.
Voting by proxy
The Commission also noted that a registered voter who due to ill-health or absence from the constituency will be unable to vote on the polling day may apply to the returning officer of the constituency or the Commission for the name of the selected proxy to be entered onto the proxy list.
“The applicant shall complete a proxy form in quadruplicate. The proxy form would be endorsed by the returning officer and a copy will be given to the said applicant,” the statement said.
A person appointed as a proxy may vote in the elections at the polling station where the registered voter was assigned to vote at the time of registration. The provision relating to voting procedure shall apply.
A person shall not appoint more than one person as a proxy to vote on his/her behalf at the election.
The EC further said that a person whose application to vote by proxy is accepted and endorsed by the returning officer of the constituency or the Commission shall not vote in the election in respect of which application was granted.
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