GBARNGA, Bong – The National Elections Commission has begun replacing lost and damaged voter identification cards for the senatorial by-election in Bong.

The National Legislature recently issued a resolution mandating NEC to hold the senatorial by-elections in Bong and Montserrado not later than July 31 this year to fill in the vacancies created in the Senate.

The vacancies were created as a result of the 2017 election of Senators George Weah of Montserrado and Jewel Howard-Taylor of Bong as president and vice president of Liberia, respectively.

Upper Bong’s senior elections magistrate, Daniel Newland, said the exercise would run for five days (June 15-20) and it is being done at NEC’s upper and lower offices in Gbarnga and Totota.

“The NEC is urging all Liberian registered voters who lost or damaged their 2017 valid voter ID cards to go at the NEC’s magisterial offices in Gbarnga and Totota during the replacement period,” Newland said.

He said those registered in Bong’s first, second, third and fourth districts would have their cards replaced in Gbarnga while those from the fifth, sixth and seventh districts will do theirs at the magisterial office in Totota, lower Bong.

Newland said a fee of US$5 or its Liberian dollar equivalent would be charged for the replacement of lost or damaged card per person.

“Those who want to replace their damaged or lost cards will need to go and deposit the amount with the Liberia Revenue Authority and bring along the flag receipt from the LRA to have your 2017 valid voter ID cards replaced,” Newland told Radio Gbarnga on Friday.

NEC’s voter card replacement room in Gbarnga. Photo: Moses Bailey.

Meanwhile, some Bong residents say the replacement fee is too high and will hinder those with lost or damaged cards, taking into account the current economic situation in the country.

James Saybay, a resident of Gbarnga and former representative candidate in Bong’s third district, expressed his opinion on the fee: “I think the fee will create a problem for our people; right now, some people hardly afford to get food a day. How can they pay such amount just to replace voter card?”

Saybay believes that most of those who have lost or damaged their voter cards may not afford the amount to get new cards.

He wants the National Legislature and the National Elections Commission to revisit the provision in the election law for future elections.

NEC’s upper Bong office was empty on Friday morning. Photo: Moses Bailey.

As of Friday, the upper Bong office had not replaced a single lost or damaged card; three persons earlier visited the office but left because they had not paid the fee, a local NEC staffer told The Bush Chicken.

Similarly in Totota, lower Bong, no one has gone for a voter card replacement, according to Barsee Kpangbai, NEC’s senior magistrate assigned there.

Featured photo by Moses Bailey