LAWMAKERS WORRIED OVER ELECTORAL DEMARCATION …Cites Limited Time

By Aminata S. Kromah, Legislative Correspondent

Capitol Hill-January 17, 2022: Reports from the House of Representatives of the 54th Legislature indicate that Lawmakers are seemingly worried about constitutional electoral demarcation pending the outcome of the Census report.

The Census report will inculcate delineation of areas within other areas of the country which will be carried out by the National Elections Commission before the conduct of the polls. This means, the process could change voting locations and Lawmakers reported stronghold amid the 2023 general and presidential elections.

In an effort to ensure the Census report does not affect the demarcation of electoral districts, Montserrado County District 11, Richard Nagbe Koon has alarmed that there is no time for the effectuation of the Census report due to the close-in time for the electoral process.

In a communication to Plenary on Tuesday, January 17, 2023, Rep. Koon noted that Constituents may find themselves in another District with no knowledge or track record of which would also lead them to voting the wrong persons. The Montserrado County Lawmaker noted that when the process is done and a specific district falls in another District electorally, it would deny one from participating in the process because the person will automatically become a resident of that new District.

“I advise that we maintain the existing electoral demarcations and focus on most important issues, adhering to an Electoral Demarcation is really not important right now and I think these things should be done not during elections year” he said.

Defending the suspension of the demarcation process, Rep. Koon further stated that there are more pertinent issues of concern instead of the demarcation process.
The House of Representatives is yet to receive results of the 2022 National Housing and Population Census.

Further, the Montserrado County Lawmaker craved Plenary’s indulgence to suspend the demarcation exercise that should come into effect following the conduct of the National Housing Population Census.

Following heated debates on the floor of the House, Plenary took a decision to forward Rep. Koon’s communication to House’s Committees on Judiciary, Inauguration and good governance to report in 2weeks for pertinent decision.

The demarcation exercise is the marking of the limits or boundaries of electoral Districts expected to be executed by the National Elections Commission.