Malawi fine-tunes preps for biometric voter registration with new system from Smartmatic

The Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) has pledged to effectively address all challenges that cropped up when the country recently piloted a new biometric voter registration system supplied to the country by Smartmatic.

MEC Chairperson Justice Annabel Mtalimanja took the commitment during a recent meeting to evaluate how the pilot to test the Election Management Devices (EMDs) unfolded. The EMD replaces the Biometric Voter Registration system deployed in previous elections in 2019.

The pilot took place in two phases last month, ahead of the actual voter registration which is scheduled to begin on October 21.

In the course of the meeting, Mtalimanja recognized the importance of the pilot, saying it was an opportunity for the NEC to identify the gaps that need to be filled before the real voter enrollment exercise kicks off.

Stakeholders who attended the meeting included MEC officials, representatives of the National Registration Bureau (NRB) and executives from Smartmatic.

“The pilot registration is crucial for identifying gaps in our systems, ensuring that we are fully prepared for the national rollout,” Mtalimanja told stakeholders during the meeting, according to a MEC Facebook post.

“Your input today will guide our steps as we fine-tune our operations to ensure a smooth, inclusive, and transparent voter registration process.”

It emerged from the meeting that more work must be done to optimize the efficiency of the system, address logistical challenges, and raise greater awareness among citizens on the need to massively take part in the upcoming voter registration.

According to a timetable released early last month in a nationwide address by the MEC Chairperson, the biometric voter registration will unfold in three phases. The first phase will run from October 21 to November 3, the second will span November 9 – 22, while the last will cover the period November 28 to December 11. The general elections are scheduled for September 2025.

The MEC Chair also reiterated the fact that eligible registrants must present any of three documents as proof of identity. They include a valid national ID card, an expired national ID card, and a system-generated receipt from the NRB containing a unique national ID number.

Article Topics

Africa  |  biometrics  |  elections  |  Malawi  |  pilot project  |  Smartmatic  |  voter registration