{UAH} Uganda Votes: Questions About 11th-hour Biometric Voters Verification System

http://www.burkinastyle.com/content/why-ugandans-and-eu-election-observers-must-reject-use-biometric-vote-system-if-critical

Why Ugandans And EU Election Observers Must Reject Use Of Biometric Vote System If Critical Issues Unresolved

[Commentary]

BY MORRIS KOMAKECH

As you know, the 2016 General Elections is less than weeks away.

Last week, the Uganda Electoral Commission (EC) announced that it intends to introduce and use the Biometric Voters' Verification System (BVVS). This system will require the EC to use the biometric information (fingerprints) gathered during the Registration for National IDs.

Using Biometric system in an election process is a welcome move given the experiences in the last Elections in Kenya and Ghana. However, from a technical stand point the system must to go through rigorous field tests before they are commissioned. We, therefore, demand that the EC suspend and eliminate the use of the BVVS from the February 18, 2016 General elections.

We are of the strong view that these systems have to fulfill the following criteria before they are put to use:

1. The System has to be verified by independent technical experts to ensure that these devices meet the highest precision in identifying finger prints.

2. The company supplying the Biometric Readers must have a reputation of supplying tamper-free systems and must be internationally-recognized.

3.  A national voter's Database must exist whose sole purpose is to register voters and is kept up-to-date as young citizens become eligible to vote and those that die, or cease to be eligible to vote for various legal reasons are purged from this Database. The Uganda Electoral Commission should not be using data from the National ID system whose function is different from that of an electoral commission.

Where then is the Independence or impartiality of the so called "Uganda Independent Electoral Commission"?

4. The Biometric system that is used during voting must be the same system that was used in the registration process and voters display for verification exercise -- see Kenya: http://www.morpho.com/en/kenya-delivering-credible-elections-using-biome...

If these devices were not used during the registration process and during the voters' verification exercise, against which data are the devices going to verify the voter's finger prints?

The argument that BVVS will deter people from multiple-voting does not hold because there is no evidence backing such a claim since the Biometric system does not prevent such malpractices as repeat voting, especially where officials are not impartial. Note that the main complaints about past rigging by National Resistance Movement (NRM) party have been: ballot stuffing; denying voters the right to cast ballots in time; altering final results; and, changing results such that loser are announced as winners.

Votes tallied at the center have been different from those at polling stations. Therefore a system that was not used during registration and verification of voters cannot be used on the voting day.

5. All people involved in handling these devices must be trained in how to handle and use these systems prior to registration. Again see
Kenya: http://www.morpho.com/en/kenya-delivering-credible-elections-using-biome...

How can an Electoral Commission introduce a Biometric system barely a month away from the election? What is the motive behind this maneuver?

6. Adequate voters' education on expected use of this device ought to have been conducted in advance to ensure harmony during the verification and on the voting day.
 
7. Therefore, we, the Uganda Diaspora P10, appeal to the International Community, Development Partners, Donors, and Foreign Governments to assert their influence and demand the Ugandan Government adhere to the above-listed criteria being taken to implement the Biometric Voters' Machines.
 
8. We urge the EU Election Observers to show their impartiality by writing to the Ugandan Government and to the rest of the Diplomatic Corps, and all the Development Partners that the BVV is being poorly rolled-out by Uganda's EC, and creating suspicion since all the different political parties were not involved in the process.

The question of transparency and impartiality of the EC is at stake. Therefore, the EU and all the other Election Observers should come forth to distance themselves from the BVV.  Call for the EC to either resolve the issues discussed above issues and/or abandon the use of the BVV for the February 18, 2016 General Elections.


Morris Komakech is Spokesperson
Uganda Diaspora P10 (Global)

www.blackstarnews.com

P.O. Box 1472

New York, N.Y., 10274

(646) 261-7566

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