The distribution of biometric voter's cards ahead of the upcoming council and legislative elections launched on May 22, 2013, is a decisive phase in the electoral process.
Its implementation will determine how free, fair, transparent, credible and acceptable the elections will be viewed. Previous elections in Cameroon have been partly rocked by problems of production and distribution of voter's cards with damaging consequences.
Lack Of Collaboration
The distribution of voters' cards is supervised by commissions comprising representatives of Elections Cameroon, administration, mayor and each authorised political party operating within the jurisdiction of the council concerned. The enthusiasm that usually characterises the registration period, judging from previous elections, usually dies down during the distribution of cards. In most cases, few political parties have in the past been deeply involved in the process. Consequently, the party supporters who were encouraged to register are not well mobilised to withdraw their cards. Other stakeholders such as the civil society organisations put in little effort in sensitising and mobilising registered voters to collect their cards. The result is that many cards remain uncollected before the day of the polls contributing to a drop in participation in the elections .
Multiple Registration
Elections Cameroon, ELECAM's report on the conduct of the October 9, 2011 presidential election raised the problem of issuing more than one voter's card to voters. In previous elections, some voters were found with scores of cards while others who registered had no cards. It is true that registration and the production of cards for upcoming elections are using biometric technology to check cases of double registration and the issuing of several cards to a single voter. With the past cacophony in the establishment and distribution of voters' cards, many voters have been disenfranchised and voter apathy has gained much grounds.
Inadequate Information
Election stakeholders and organisers have not been communicating much on the location of polling stations nor publishing names of voters to cast their votes in such polling stations. Many potential voters do enroll on electoral registers without any clear mention of the polling stations where they will vote. The consequences have been that voters who do not withdraw their cards when the distribution commissions comb the various council areas, find it difficult locating their polling stations. The Electoral Code provides in Section 85 (2) that, "Voters' cards not delivered to their legal holders shall be left at the polling station where such holders are registered and shall remain at their disposal until the close of the poll." Lack of information on who votes in which polling station often leads to piles of cards abandoned in polling stations on Election Day.
Collection Documents
Section 85 (3) of the Electoral Code on the delivery of voters' cards, specifies that, "Such cards shall be delivered to the legal holders only upon the production of the identity card of each holder or the receipt issued during registration." It is true that government once more decided the free issuing of National Identity Cards to enable potential voters register. However, those who have misplaced either or both the identity cards and registration receipts find it difficult withdrawing their cards.
