By: Modou Touray
According to the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC), over 2,800 instances of attempted double voter registration have been identified during the ongoing 2026 Supplementary Registration of Voters. The Commission has emphasized that this practice is a serious offense under Gambian electoral laws.
During the second monthly IEC Stakeholders Forum, IEC Chairman Joseph Colley expressed concern over individuals who have already been registered in the 2021 voter register attempting to register again. He stressed that this constitutes double registration and urged all eligible Gambians to follow the principle of “one person, one vote.”
The Supplementary Registration, which began on April 8, is set to continue until May 21 at 100 registration centers throughout the country. The IEC stated that the process has been largely smooth, transparent, and open to observation by political parties, civil society organizations, and the media.
However, there have been some technical and logistical challenges, such as faulty printers, generator malfunctions due to extreme heat, and a date-setting error in the North Bank Region which caused 253 voter cards to bear the wrong month of registration. The IEC has been able to retrieve and reissue the majority of these cards.
At the forum, IEC Chief Electoral Officer Sambujang Njie presented preliminary numbers for the first week of the exercise, showing that 41,565 applicants were registered between April 8 and April 15. The highest number of registrations occurred in Brikama with 8,100, followed by Kanifing with 6,424 and Kerewan with 3,860. The figures also revealed that women made up 55% of the total registrations during this period, indicating strong female participation in the process.
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