2023: Senate Moves To Make Card Readers Compulsory

A bill, which seeks to make the use of Card Readers compulsory
for accreditation of voters scaled first reading in the Senate on
Wednesday.

Titled: “Electoral Act (Amendment) Bill, 2021”, it was sponsored
by Senator Surajudeen Ajibola Basiru (Osun Central).

The bill seeks to amend Section 47 of the Electoral Act by
inserting a new section “47(2)”.

The new section seeks to alter the period for accreditation and
voting as well as provide for the compulsory use of card readers
for accreditation.

Among other proposals, the bill makes provision for separate
periods for accreditation and voting, and for accreditation to
commence by 8:00am and close by 1:00pm.

If the proposal scales through, voting will now begin
immediately after accreditation.

However, “this is without prejudice to the fact that all voters
who are already on the queue by 1:00pm shall be accredited”.

“In the proposed amendment to the Electoral Act,” according to
Basiru, “the accreditation process shall comprise of the
verification of voters using the Card Reader and Register of
Voters.”

The bill further provides that “where the votes cast at an
election in any polling unit exceeds the number of accredited
voters on the voters’ register and card reader in any polling unit,
the result of the election in that polling unit shall be declared
void and another election conducted where the result at that
polling unit may affect the overall result in the
constituency”.

A bill, which seeks to make the use of Card Readers compulsory
for accreditation of voters scaled first reading in the Senate on
Wednesday.

Titled: “Electoral Act (Amendment) Bill, 2021”, it was sponsored
by Senator Surajudeen Ajibola Basiru (Osun Central).

The bill seeks to amend Section 47 of the Electoral Act by
inserting a new section “47(2)”.

The new section seeks to alter the period for accreditation and
voting as well as provide for the compulsory use of card readers
for accreditation.

Among other proposals, the bill makes provision for separate
periods for accreditation and voting, and for accreditation to
commence by 8:00am and close by 1:00pm.

If the proposal scales through, voting will now begin
immediately after accreditation.

However, “this is without prejudice to the fact that all voters
who are already on the queue by 1:00pm shall be accredited”.

“In the proposed amendment to the Electoral Act,” according to
Basiru, “the accreditation process shall comprise of the
verification of voters using the Card Reader and Register of
Voters.”

The bill further provides that “where the votes cast at an
election in any polling unit exceeds the number of accredited
voters on the voters’ register and card reader in any polling unit,
the result of the election in that polling unit shall be declared
void and another election conducted where the result at that
polling unit may affect the overall result in the
constituency”.