Polling station in Tonga for the 2021 general election Photo: Linny Folau/Matangi Tonga
Tonga's elections chief says that after this year's general election, a review of the electoral process may be needed to address declining voter turnout.
The country will head to the polls on Thursday, 20 November, to elect its next parliament.
Electoral Commissioner Pita Vuki said 64,700 people had registered to vote before the electoral roll closed on Thursday, 6 November. This was up from about 60,000 in 2021.
He said the increase in the electoral roll was expected, but the decreasing voter turnout needed to be addressed.
In 2010 - the first election following the country's constitutional reforms - voter participation peaked at 91 percent.
In the last election in 2021, voter participation was just 62 percent.
Vuki believed this was due to a range of reasons, including the lack of provisions for overseas voting.
"People who are travelling plus [we are] unable to provide polling facilities for our voters overseas."
To be eligible to vote, Tongan citizens must live in Tonga and be over the age of 21. Voters must also be in the country on polling day to cast a ballot, as the Tonga Electoral Act does not have any provisions for overseas or postal voting.
Vuki said it was probably time to review the electoral process.
"Maybe after the election, we can have a look at the process".
He urged Tongans to turn up and vote on polling day, and said the Tongan Electoral Commission was heading into its final stretch of training for polling officials on Tongatapu.
"We have covered almost all of the outer islands in the last two weeks, so now we're back on the main island to conduct training for polling officials until next Tuesday."
Following that, staff will finish preparations for polling day, when about 600 officials would operate more than 200 polling stations.
On polling day, the Commission will also run two elections - one for the general population, who elect 17 people's representatives to parliament, and one for nobles, who elect nine noble representatives.
Tongan voters are required to bring their national identity card or passport to be able to cast their ballot. A birth certificate can also be used.
Vuki said provisions also exist under the Electoral Act for those without any identification documentation on polling day. However, he added they would need to follow instructions from a polling official.
"Even if they've lost or misplaced their IDs, they can still vote. The important thing is for them to turn up to the polling station so they can vote," he said.
Polling stations are due to open at 9am and close at 4pm on 20 November for the general vote. The nobles will vote between 10am and 12pm.
Vuki said ballot counting will be done by officials at the polling stations.
"Then they will return the [ballot] box with the results to us in the office to compile all the results from different polling stations.
"Hopefully, we will be able to understand the final results on the night of the election as that has been the case in the past elections," he added.
