The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has on Thursday said that it is expanding polling units to address low voter turnouts during elections, giving voters additional access to polling units. Dr. Mahmuda Isah, Resident Electoral Commissioner in Jigawa State made this known during the meeting on expanding voter access to polling units in Dutse, the state capital, adding that the expansion will improve health safety conditions in line with the COVID-19 protocol during the 2023 general elections.
He noted that the expansion will also give better access to voters with disabilities and reducing over-voting during election exercises.
“A practical review conducted by the commission in 2014 revealed that many polling units recorded an excess number of voters.
“Some units exceeded the designated figure of 500 voters per polling unit to a couple of over 4,000 registered voters,” Isah said.
Also, in a statement to the REC in Ricer State, the Head, Voter Education and Publicity, INEC, Mark Usulor said the expansion of polling units was not aimed at creating new ones ahead of polls, noting that the commission was required to identify polling units that already have voting points in a bid to convert them to stand-alone polling units.
“In line with the guidelines issued by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) headquarters Abuja, INEC Rivers State wishes to inform the general public of the commencement of activities for the expansion of access to Polling Units in Rivers State,” Usulor said.
“Those Staff shall also proceed to identify locations for the siting of the new polling units, relying on scientifically generated data on the concentration of voters in the existing polling units as well as INEC’s guidelines for siting polling units.
“The public is again reminded that the principle for the expansion of the access to polling units is simply to convert the voting points attached to the existing polling units into stand alone polling units.
“For the avoidance of any doubt, no new or additional polling units will be created outside the conversion of existing voting points whose identity and locations are already established by the Commission.”