|
International Elections Observation Mission: Day One
Monday, November 30th, 2009
By J.R. Claeys
Today, we visited the company responsible for the voter registration technology being used in Bolivia. The company makes the biometric voter identification systems that are used in the registration process. 3,000 of the portable systems were deployed to register millions of voters at a rate of 60,000 per day. Some are used in fixed-location registration centers and others are portable systems carried into less populated mountainous regions.
The system takes a photo of the voter, then scans in all ten fingerprints, then accepts a digital signature to complete the process. All that information is tied to the identification shown by the voter at the point of registration. The voter leaves with a receipt of their registration and two other copies are filed with the National Electoral Court (CNE).
Registration centers were also set up in the United States and other countries where Bolivians living abroad are constitutionally guaranteed a right to vote without returning to Bolivia for election day.
This type of voter registration goes a step farther than traditional voter identification systems with the fingerprint scanning, though this type of technology has been used recently in other elections. Bolivia also has a largely unenforced compulsory voting law, requiring those over 21 to vote and those who are married over 18 to vote.
We leave Thursday from Miami and arrive in La Paz, Bolivia early Friday morning. Due to a travel restriction we were unable to leave Miami this evening.
There have been some reports of scattered violence in clashes between pro and anti-Morales groups. Morales is opposed by those who stand to lose their livelihoods as Morales nationalizes many industries and redistributes wealth and power to the indigenous population.
"Day Two" of the mission (and my next blog post) will occur Thursday, rather than Tuesday due to the delay caused by the travel restriction.
» Photo Gallery: Elections Observation Mission
 Text JOINJR to 41411 for Updates!
|
|
|
