Voter identification a priority

VOTER identification is among other pressing issues which must be resolved before Papua New Guinea can have an electoral roll that is accurate and perfect, to some degree by 2012, deputy electoral commissioner John Kalamorah said.
Mr Kalamorah said the challenge for the Papua New Guinea Electoral Commission (PNGEC) was for continuous improvement to the integrity of the electoral roll.
“This can be done by implementing sustainable processes to improve how data is collected and how it is managed,” he said.
For voter identification, Mr Kalamorah stressed that costs and benefits must be sorted briskly as such systems come at a “very significant costs”.
Apart from voter identification, Mr Kalamorah said were changes to the legislative framework in which the electoral roll was created and the regulations guiding the enrolment process.
“The regulatory framework needs to focus on making it easier to renew the roll and for it to be kept current,” he said.
Mr Kalamorah said when introducing changes to the legal framework governing the election administrative processes, due consideration must be given to the resource implications.
 The PNGEC will also closely peruse commentator observations on the 2007 national elections.
Issues recommended by commentator observations included late release of funds, delayed delivery of election materials and inadequate training.
Dr Nicole Haley and Dr Ray Anere compiled the observation report.
Mr Kalamorah said from past experience, data management was a significant issue that needed to be carefully looked at.