Article 83(a) of the 1986 Constitution states, “Voting for the President, Vice President, Members of the Senate and Members of the House of Representatives shall be conducted throughout the Republic of Liberia on the second Tuesday of October of each election year.”
This Article has been proposed as Proposition 7 of the 2020 National Referendum and is subject for amendment. It was proposed in order to that it may be amended so that general elections can be held during the dry season instead of the rainy season.
If amended, Article 83(a) will read, “Voting for the President, Vice President, Members of the Senate and Members of the House of Representatives shall be conducted throughout the Republic of Liberia on the second Tuesday in November of each election year.”
The analysis on this proposition by the framers of the Official Gazette is that Election Day in October means that propositions for elections, campaigns and voting shall take place during the rainy season, which is challenging for the National Elections Commission (NEC), voters and candidates because of the road connectivity problems and the weather. By placing Election Day in November, a substantial amount of these activities can take place during the dry season.
A “yes” vote on Proposition 7 means the citizens have agreed for the date of the general elections to be moved from the rainy season in October to the dry season in November. A “no” vote means that there should be no change on the election date and that Article 83(a) should remain as is.