In an attempt to increase voter registration turn out, officials from National Initiative for Civic Education (NICE) are in Neno training community civic educators to go and sensitize people on their right to participate in the exercise.
Speaking on Monday during the Opening of training for NICE par-Civic educators at Neno Mission Catholic Centre, Southern Regional Civic Education Officer Enock Chinkhuntha said NICE is accredited by the Malawi Electoral Commission to conduct voter registration education across the country with a mandate to mobilize all Malawians aged eighteen and above to actively participate in the forthcoming biometric voter registration slated from June 26 to November 9 this year.
Chinkhuntha said with the changes to the registration system, there was a need to ensure that NICE volunteers are well conversant with the new system before they start sensitizing masses on the importance of the exercise.
He added that apart from using its volunteer structuring, road shows and promotion materials,
NICE will rely much on local structures like church, Mosques and chiefs as avenues in terms of passing out voter registration information so that no eligible voter is left out during the exercise.
According to Chinkhuntha, the biometric voter registration system has proven to be the fastest and is intended to eliminate multiple registrations.
For those who are yet to receive their National IDs, it is clear that biometric voter registration will scan their printed receipt they received during the ID registration. There will be no typing of personal details again, He said.
The participants were also encouraged to use sports and arts in their community as a way of mobilizing more youths to register.
Our main concern is the youths, they have the numbers, they have energy, but most of them dont want to participate in electoral process, added Chinkhuntha.
MEC has projected to register 82, 418 in Neno and 3, 996,150 in the whole Southern Region.
