The Fijian Elections Office (FEO) is hoping to raise the percentage of people who voted in the 2018 General Election, which had a turnout of 72 per cent.

Supervisor of Elections, Mohammed Saneem delivered the message at the launch of the Pilot Community Elections Advocate Training of Trainers Community Engagement Project at the Tanoa Waterfront Hotel in Lautoka on Tuesday.

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the FEO facilitated the community-based initiative.

Many people claimed that not many voters turned up to vote in the 2018 General Election, according to Mr Saneem.

He said this was where project participants had to step in to ensure that their community members who were registered voters would vote.

“We looked at some of the surveys, and we looked at some of the discussions that followed, and in a lot of situations, this became a matter of people not going to vote,” Mr Saneem said.

“So that can be cured and done by casual conversation.”

He said that if the current trend continues, elections would be held this year, then there would be a greater chance that more Fijians would step up and vote.

“You must ensure that you do not become accused of having conducted a campaign when you are there as a community elections advocate.

Fiji’s voting system, he explained, is voluntary.

“What is sadder is that during the 2018 General Election we suspended polling in 25 areas.

“There were people who had to be turned away from those locations because they went from as far as Navua to Nausori and tried to vote.

“You can’t, you can only vote where your name is listed.”

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