INEC officials getting ready for an election

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), says election in the country shall henceforth be by simultaneous  accreditation and voting.

This is contained in Additional Guidelines to the 2015 Guidelines and Regulations for the Conduct of Elections published in the commission’s daily bulletin in Abuja on Thursday.

It stated that having approved the pilot of the continuous accreditation and voting procedure at elections, for the time being, the following shall constitute a supplement to the existing guidelines and regulations at elections.

It added that the accreditation process shall comprise authentication and verification of voters using the Smart Card Reader (SCR), checking of the Register of Voters, and inking of the cuticle of the specified finger.

“The ballot paper shall be issued in the prescribed manner by the Presiding Officer of a Polling Unit/Voting Point (Settlement), and the Assistant Presiding Officer, APO (VP), in the case of a Voting Point (VP).”

It added that accreditation and voting shall commence at 8a.m. and close at 2p.m. “provided that any voter already in the queue shall be granted access to accreditation and voting in the prescribed manner.

“The Polling Unit layout shall require the Presiding Officer to sit next to the APO II; the Presiding Officer shall act as the Overseer.”

It stressed that all procedures specified in the Guidelines and Regulations for the Conduct of the 2015 General Elections remain in effect with the new exceptions.