30 May 2006

Identity cards could be answer to some of Solomon Islands election issues

8:21 pm on 30 May 2006

The Solomon Islands Chief Electoral Officer, Musu Kevu, says both postal voting and some kind of identity card should be introduced to overcome issues with the registration of voters.

He says double registration during the recent election was a problem and he'll be recommending that the government alter the Electoral Act to deal with this.

Mr Kevu couldn't put a figure on the numbers involved but he says it was most noticeable in Honiara with people registering there but going to their home provinces to vote.

He says this can be changed.

"If we can introduce some sort of postal voting so that workers, or officers, who are working in Honiara and who want to vote at the various provinces, do not necessarily have to go back home and cast their votes at their constituencies."

Mr Kevu says he would like to see the Electoral Commission given the funds so that voter registration could be done on an annual basis.

He also says none of the MPs have handed in a return over their campaign spending to date.