“Give Voters a Chance to Vote Freely” urges Electoral Commissioner

The Electoral Commissioner, Faimalōmatumua Mathew Lemisio talking to the media after today’s results were posted around 8pm.

By Lagi Keresoma

APIA, SAMOA – 07APRIL 2021: The Electoral Commissioner, Faimalōmatumua Mathew Lemisio, has appealed again to the election candidates and committee members to leave the voters alone so they can vote freely.

Faimalōmatumua was responding to media queries after the results for the third day of pre-polling were posted about candidates seen among the voters at polling booths and some complaints about committee members lingering with the voters at the polling booths.

He said that they received complaints and police were sent in some cases but when pressed to provide proof, it could not be provided.

There was a complaint yesterday about candidates seen around election booths and voters, and Faimalōmatumua issued a reminder to on the media last night.

“Hopefully they watched last night, because we don’t want to tell them what to do but to remind them. All we ask is to give the voters a chance to vote freely,” he said.

All going well
“So far the operation for pre-polling has been going well and we’ve had several elderly women commending us for the work and assistance given to them when they came to cast their votes,” said Faimalōmatumua.

The only challenge the Office is facing is the logistics.

The office had four weeks to re-organise the pre-polling after the incident where pre-polling forms were allegedly duplicated “and we’re only working towards satisfying what the Election Act says,” said Faimalōmatumua.

As of today, people were still turning up at the office asking to utilise the pre-polling service.

But that is gone as they had a chance to register for it and it was optional. They have to cast their votes in the general elections on Friday 09 April.

Election teams around stationery and boxes ready for this Friday’s general election.

Election teams to disperse to locations tomorrow
Meanwhile, election teams are preparing for the big day on Friday and teams leave for Savaii and outer polling stations tomorrow.

More than 2000 volunteers from the public service and private companies have been engaged in the election process and will be dispersed to the electoral constituencies tomorrow.

“We had our final debriefing today, and they will come in tomorrow at 5.00am before the teams for Savaii leave at 10.00am,” said the Electoral Commissioner.

The teams for Upolu will leave for their constituencies at 2.00pm.

Over 8,000 voters were registered for pre-polling while overall, 128,800 voters are registered for the 2021 elections. 432 polling booths have been set up around the country to ensure everyone casts their vote this Friday, 09 April.