The Need To Reconsider Seats Assigned To The Counties By The NEC


By Igolima Tubobelem Dagogo Amachree


The Perspective
Atlanta, Georgia
June 24, 2005

 

Send Money From Around The World 24/7_1
COUNTY ASSIGNED ADDITIONAL TOTAL % OF SEATS % OF 1984 Population:

County Assigned Seats Additional Seats Total % of Seats % of 1984 Population
Montserrado
2
12
14
21.88
25.6
Nimba
2
5
7
10.94
14.7
Bong
2
4
6
9.38
12.0
Grand Bassa
2
2
4
6.25
7.5
Lofa
2
2
4
6.25
11.6
Margibi
2
2
4
6.25
4.6
Bomi
2
1
3
4.69
3.1
Gbarpolu
2
1
3
4.69
2.0
Grand Cape Mount
2
1
3
4.69
3.7
Grand Gedeh
2
1
3
4.69
4.8
Maryland
2
1
3
4.69
6.2
River Gee
2
1
3
4.69
3.1
Grand Kru
2
0
2
3.13
1.7
River Cess
2
0
2
3.13
1.7

I have taken the liberty to combine the 1984 census with the 2002 estimates of the population of Liberia to come up with an approximate percent distribution of the population of the fifteen counties.

Frances Johnson-Morris
Chair, National Elections Commission
According to the NEC, each county is to receive two seats and then the remaining thirty-four seats are distributed according to the voter registration list. I have called this the ADDITIONAL column. Based on this I have calculated the percent of the overall seats going to each county. Since the population pyramids for the counties are alike, the voter registration figures should, theoretically, be similar to the population distribution. However, it seems the voter registration figures are used for the distribution of the seats thereby penalizing those counties that, for one reason or another, did not register its citizens. It seems to me that it should be the number of people in a county, the population, and not the number of people who register to vote, that should determine the number of seats it gets.

If my assumption is correct, as my population figures are, then I suggest that adjustments should be made to the assigned seats of Lofa which should have about the same number of seats as Bong, Maryland which should about the same number of seats as Bassa, Grand Gedeh should have about the same number of seats as Margibi and, finally, Grand Kru and River Cess should have about the same number of seats as Gbarpolu.

I hope that the NEC will reconsider its current allocation of seats.

About the author: Igolima T. D. Amachree is a Professor of Sociology at Western Illinois University Macomb, IL. 61455. He can be reached at: IT-Amachree@wiu.edu