A list a mile long

The Economist

19 Feb 2011

A list a mile long

IN CROWDED vegetable markets and on the porches of traditional chiefs’ houses, Nigerians have in recent weeks been registering to vote. Many registration centres consisted of little more than a plastic table, a laptop and an umbrella for shade. But the goal—to compile a new, high-tech voters’ list for Africa’s most populous country—is seen as crucial to preventing rigging during presidential, parliamentary and state governorship elections due in early April.

Goodluck Jonathan, Nigeria’s president, has made the $580m list the costly centrepiece of his pledge to oversee proper polls this spring. The ruling People’s Democratic Party, on whose ticket Mr Jonathan is running, has won three elections since army rule ended in 1999, all marred by violence and fraud. A bogus voters’ list featuring Nelson Mandela and Mike Tyson allowed for much of the foul play.

Nigeria’s election commission is now working on a snazzy biometric list, complete with photographs and fingerprints. During a three-week registration drive that ended on February 7th, the commission says over 65m voters had their pictures taken and their fingers scanned. Laminated voters’ cards with barcodes were handed out. The fingerprints are now being cross-checked at a central server that will remove duplicates, if all goes to plan.

But registration alone was chaotic...