As First Phase Of Voter Registration Concludes… ECSL Accused Of Rejecting First Time Voters

By Amadu S. Bah in Freetown  

232News

Young Sierra Leoneans who have reached voting age or who will turn eighteen by June 24^th, 2023, have raised concerns over the trampling of their rights to register for the 2023 multi-tier elections. They raised concerns that the Electoral Commission Sierra Leone have been rejecting them for what they referred to as insufficient documentation. Speaking to Salone Times Newspaper, some young people stated that they have always looked forward to exercising their franchise which is the right to vote and to be voted for, but that dream does not seem becoming true.

According to some first-time voters, since the registration process commenced, they have gone to the registration centers in their various communities or wards with all the necessary documents that can prove they are eligible to register but the ECSL staff have been sending them home without taking their particulars for the registration. Some young people also noted that even when they went together with their parents or guardians to verify their eligibility, all efforts have proven futile.

“We are Sierra Leoneans who have reached the required age to vote and as first-time voters we have the right to participate in all the electoral processes from registration and voting. Therefore, we would not want to stand by and see our franchise being denied,” one first time voter stated.

Some first-time voters went on to state that they as young people need to be granted the right to take part in the 2023 elections because they are also contributors to national development. Therefore, they should be given the chance to take part in decision making such as a general election. Some young people also have described the first phase of the 2022 registration process as biased and unfair to them as first-time voters. Thus, they are calling on the government, civil society movements, ECSL and other authorities concerned to please consider their registration because they would not want to miss the opportunity to vote especially in the upcoming 2023 general election.