US Denies Sending Diplomatic Note on Voter Registration -But Stresses Importance of Voter Data Security

MONROVIA – There has been much ado since the National Elections Commission announced new voter registration formalities and policies, specifically the potential for using Biometric Voter Registration System during the 2023 general and presidential elections. One of the ways Liberians, mostly politicians, validate their positions is to anoint them with supposed United States approbation which is exactly the point when some posited that the United States Embassy had entered the entire VR debate by sending a diplomatic note to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs over the matter. But before inks got dry on the insinuations, the Embassy came up to clarify that that was not true but that it insists on the need for voter data security in the country. The Analyst reports.  

Amid controversy over the how registration of voters would be handled this time around during the pending crucial 2023 elections, the U.S. Embassy near Monrovia says at no time did it send  diplomatic note to the Government of Liberia through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs over the matter.

In press statement Monday, September 12, 2022, the Embassy said it has seen the reporting on NEC’s Biometric VR System and would like to correct the record.

According the US Embassy, at no point in time did it send the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Liberia an official Diplomatic Note, or any other communication, with the request to acquire a sample or specimen of the 2023 national voter registration card.

“We understand that no decision has yet been made on awarding a contract for the biometric system, but that the process is ongoing and, according to the press, the Public Procurement and Concessions Commission (PPCC) is examining potential contracts,” the Embassy said in the statement.

It added: “We urge the PPCC to fulfill its mandate of ensuring integrity and transparency in the procurement process so that the Liberian public gets full value for money in the use of public funds. The United States and Liberia share democratic values, including the commitment to free, fair, and transparent elections.”

Embassy also noted that it is working closely with partners in the government and in civil society focusing on next year’s important national elections, emphasizing the necessity of non-violence and transparency in democratic societies.

“We remind our international and local partners of the importance of data security, especially regarding sensitive Liberian voter data,” the US Embassy said further.