Elections in Liberia

Liberia normally holds national elections on the second Tuesday of October in an election year. By-elections fill vacant seats, and referenda may decide constitutional or other public questions. Paramount, clan and town chiefs are also elected by registered voters for six-year terms. The President and Vice-President run together on one ticket. They need more than half of the votes to win. If no ticket reaches that level, the two leading tickets contest a run-off on the second Tuesday after the first round. The President and Vice-President serve six-year terms and may serve no more than two terms. A presidential and vice-presidential candidate must be a natural-born Liberian, at least 35 years old, have at least ten years of residence, own unencumbered real property worth at least US$25,000 and come from a different county from the other candidate. The Senate has 30 seats, with two seats assigned to each county. Fifteen seats are contested in each election cycle, and the candidate with the most votes in the relevant county wins. Senators serve nine-year terms on a staggered schedule: one seat per county is filled first, the second seat three years later, and that seat then has a six-year interval before it is contested again. The House of Representatives has 73 seats, each representing a single electoral district. The candidate with the most votes wins a House seat, and representatives serve six-year terms. Senate candidates must be at least 30 years old, while House candidates must be at least 25. Legislative candidates generally need at least one year of domicile in the country and the relevant county or constituency and must be taxpayers. They may run through a political party, coalition or as an independent candidate. The NEC, its Board of Commissioners and Elections Magistrates administer the process. A political party must have at least 500 qualified voters in each of at least six counties, maintain democratic internal bodies and pass NEC registration review. The 2023 non-refundable candidate fees were US$2,500 for President, US$1,500 for Vice-President, US$750 for Senate and US$500 for the House. The 2023 nomination period ran from 14 June to 14 July at the NEC in Monrovia. The available national information records no direct voter-registration or voting fee, but distance and transport costs can affect access to registration and polling places. A voter must be a Liberian citizen and at least 18 years old. Registration is tied to one constituency and the voter’s ordinary residence. The Constitution provides for voting in person or by absentee ballot. A court-declared incompetent or person of unsound mind may be excluded, as may a person disenfranchised after an infamous crime whose voting rights have not been restored. Liberia uses an active periodical registration system. In 2023, biometric voter registration collected facial images, fingerprints and personal data. Registration ran from 20 March to 11 May at 2,080 centres and produced 2,488,904 records; 27,192 duplicate records were identified. The final roll contained 2,471,617 registered voters and covered 5,890 polling places. Voters receive a voter identification or registration card, with procedures for first issuance, correction and replacement of lost or damaged cards. Accepted evidence of Liberian citizenship can include a Liberian passport, birth certificate or certificate of naturalization. The NEC may also accept a sworn statement from two registered voters or confirmation by a Liberian traditional leader. The absence of a complete national civil register and identity system can make verification and correction more difficult. Voting uses paper ballots and a secret ballot. Polling staff check the Final Registration Roll, manage queues and use indelible ink. Party agents and domestic or international observers may observe the process. The available evidence does not establish electronic voting as the national procedure. Staff count ballots at the polling place, complete result forms and transfer the materials to an Elections Magistrate for collation. The NEC receives the collated results, transmits preliminary results electronically and later makes the final declaration. The NEC has a legal maximum of 15 days for declaring results after the returns are received. A complaint about the conduct of an election or its result must generally reach the NEC within seven days after the announcement. The NEC conducts an impartial investigation and decides within up to 30 days. An appeal may go to the Supreme Court within seven days, the NEC forwards the record within seven days, and the Supreme Court decides within seven days. The Board of Commissioners may dismiss a case, order a recount or require a re-vote. If an election is nullified, the NEC must arrange a new election at least 60 days later. The 10 October 2023 general election illustrates the presidential system. No ticket won an absolute majority in the first round: Joseph Boakai received 43.44 percent and George Weah 43.83 percent. In the 14 November run-off, Boakai received 50.64 percent and Weah 49.36 percent. The same general election included all 73 House seats and 15 Senate seats. Access over long distances, corrections to biometric and final registration records, limited identity infrastructure, staff or procedural errors, complex counting, unequal campaign resources and low representation of women remain practical concerns when assessing the process.