5,000 Voters Registered on Last Day in Samoa

3aa4ba03-6b66-4ffd-bb2b-0d7e45051c0c

The last minute rush last Friday secured registration for more than 5,000 eligible voters for the 2021 general elections.

Samoa Observer quotes the Assistant CEO of the Office of the Electoral Commission, Lefau Francis Ainuu, saying this number does not include those who left their details with the office for registration after the 4pm closing time.

Voter registration opened after the 2016 general elections and despite voter registration awareness campaigns by the OEC targeting rural communities and villages, hundreds left it until the last day causing havoc and relocation to a bigger hall to cater for the numbers.

Lefau clarified that those who were later called in by the O.E.C. to register are only those who were still at the E.F.K.S. Youth Hall.

“These people were already there and it is just a matter of entering their details [in the system,” he said.

The late rush resulted in more than 10 people getting injured or passing out, while standing in the queue to complete their registration.

According to Lefau, they targeted 14,000 voter registrations, those who had turned 21 since the last general election.

They have achieved that target and also registered manu senior citizens who did not participate in previous elections.

“We had a 96 year old who is the oldest person we have registered during our door to door registration,” he said.

 

Tags: , , , ,