We therefore wish to seize this opportunity to remind the people of the significance of the exercise and as well call on all eligible Gambians to turn out in large numbers to get registered, so that come November 24th we can once more prove to the whole world that Gambians are forever determined to continue on the path of progress and development. People should remember that all previous voters' cards became invalid as at 1 May 2011, so whoever is not registered to vote should do so as soon as possible.
Voter registration is the right of all eligible citizens to participate in the affairs of their government and is one of the cornerstones of democracy. This is because for citizens to exercise their democratic right to vote there must be a comprehensive and inclusive electoral register, also called a voters list; and this must be carefully maintained to ensure that each eligible citizen is registered to vote once and only once. A voters list makes it possible to separate two of the most important functions of the election authority: verifying voter eligibility and controlling the legitimacy of the balloting process. The list may also be used in voter education, and may be provided to political parties and candidates to aid them in their campaigns.
The general voter registration exercise is therefore a demonstration of how free and fair elections in the country are. Besides, it is obvious that our voter registration process is democratic and representative because it provides equal opportunity for all to participate through an all-inclusive mechanism. The ball now lies in our court to massively get registered so that we can judiciously exercise our political.