United Nations officials have had talks with Liberia’s elections authorities over the possibility of launching a biometrics voting system that would be used in the 2023 legislative and presidential elections.
Niels Scott – the United Nations Resident Coordinator in Liberia initiated the conversation according to a recent NEC statement.
Liberia’s electoral body will evaluate the system’s utilization in regional countries to inform its usage in the pending 2023 polls, it said.
The country currently uses the manual Optical Mark Recognition (OMR). Migrating to the biometrics System could Make it possible to compensate for the lack of a mechanism for prompt identification of voters.
It farther guarantees the elimination of multiple enrollments on voter lists.
According to good-id.org, more than 60% of African countries plan to launch or refresh their identity program in the next two years.
Biometrics is the best technology to identify and authenticate individuals reliably and quickly based on their unique physical characteristics, such as fingerprints.
It is not known how much it would cost Liberia to deploy the technology.
Also US Ambassador Michael McCarthy have had discussion with NEC officials in relation to the body preparedness for the 2023 elections. Talks focus on funding and other support needs to implement electoral activities before, during and after the elections.
NEC’s Chairperson Davidetta Browne Lansanah said budget for the elections is being worked on.
