Screening process in roll updating crucial

THE objection and verification process, the second phase of the common roll update, is a critical process and election officials must ensure people check their names and are given a chance to object, says Electoral Commissioner Patilias Gamato, pictured.
Speaking during the closing of the fourth national workshop in Kokopo, East New Britain, on Friday, Gamato urged election managers to work with chief executives of districts and local level government managers to protect the data to be screened.
This follows the launching of the objection and verification process of the country’s common roll update on Feb 27 at Raluana village in Kokopo.
“I want this exercise to be completed in the next two weeks,” Gamato said.
“We will print the final roll at the end of April.”
Gamato said the training team conducting printing of training manuals should start printing and dispatching them to  provinces to do training by the end of this month or beginning of next month.
These include training of returning and assistant returning officers, polling clerks, counting officials and scrutineers.
Gamato said the appointment of returning officers  and their assistants was done and gazetted.
Gamato said in relation to the printing of ballot papers, the first containers were dispatched on Tuesday and the remaining two would be dispatched this week and will take three weeks to arrive in the country.
“Ballot papers will be dispatched two weeks before polling starts.”