District trials counting process

By BRADLEY MARIORI
A NEW electoral counting process will be trialed at the Menyamya by-election in Morobe, an official says.
Menyamya by-election returning officer (RO) Nande Awape said the process would involve counting at local level government (LLG) stations and then they will be brought to a central location for quality checks and the exclusion process.
“The PNG Electoral Commission came up with the idea to have the primary counts done in each LLGs,” he said.
“The commission then bring them to a central location for quality checks and then we will go through the exclusion process.
“138 teams will be conducting the polling in different locations in the district and those teams will be doing their respective primary counts at their polling locations before bringing them to the central location.
“Right now, I am not sure whether this process will increase or decrease the costs but it is just a trial.”
Awape said they had done their plans on polling, counting and training of officials which would be done soon.
He said they had started to transport the training manuals for polling and counting yesterday, and would continue today to Kapao, Nanima, Wapi and Kome LLGs.
“We’ve set a date for the training of polling and counting officials and we are going to prepare the counting centres for the respective LLGs and the central counting venue which will be at Menyamya station.
“We are expecting the ballot papers and inks directly from Port Moresby via a charter flight straight to Menyamya on March 27,” Awape said.
He said polling would be done in one day with 138 polling teams prepared for their respective polling locations.