By Lincoln G. Peters
Over seven potential voters said they were denied voting at the Monrovia Church of Christ, and Wells-Hairston School in Montserrado County Electoral District #10.
Polling place number 3 was a room of controversy at the voting precincts following several allegations of voters allegedly being denied and pre-marking of some ballots.
Over nine individuals were discovered to have allegedly engaged into voter fraud or duplication of voter cards. Five persons were sent to Police Zone Three for alleged fraud.
And over seven persons were denied voting because their names were already marked in the Final Registration Roll (FRR) as people who have voted already.
This prompted the voters to make noise at the precincts, alleging that their names had been pre-marked by NEC staffers.
They vowed that if they are not given the space to vote, they will disrupt the process and take the ballot papers in the sea.
Speaking in an interview with this paper, Ms. Hannah Lurpo said NEC staff denied her of voting because they claimed that she had already voted.
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Ms. Lurpo however challenged the claim by the NEC staff that, saying she had no ink on her finger indicating that she had voted.
“I came to vote because this is where I registered. The guy at the voting room, polling place #3, told me that my name is checked, therefore, I can’t vote,” said Ms. Lurpo.
“My brother, I have not voted. If I vote, why my finger [is] not marked? I want to vote because it’s my right. I will be here until I vote,” she concluded.
Also, Zayzay D. Kollie, Jr., said that he too was denied from voting on grounds that he had already voted. He stated that his finger was not marked, but his name checked.
“I have my voting card with me and ready, but they [are] saying I have voted. This needs to be settled because I want to vote. It’s my right and I must exercise it,” she stated.
For her part, an observer of the Movement for Progressive Change (MPC), Precious P. Wallo, accused the NEC staffers of allegedly engaging in pre-marking of ballots, but gave no evidence.
“Since we came, the NEC staff refused to show us the Final Registration Roll (FRR). They told us that NEC has instructed them not to show it to us,” she lamented.
Responding to the allegations, National Elections Supervisor for Montserrado County Electoral District #10 informed voters who were denied should communicate their grievances with the NEC
The Elections Supervisor however declined to state her name when asked.
“There is nothing I can do about this because your names are checked, indicating that you have [voted],” she said.
“However, the system will verify the information. But what they told me is that you should do a written communication, filling in the NEC complaint form, stating your concerns,” she noted.
However, the presiding officer refused to speak to the matters on grounds that his boss had spoken.
