Voter Registration has begun for Southern Sudanese Populations living in
Canada
Register to Vote in the Southern Sudan Referendum November 15 - December 1, 2010, in Toronto, Ontario and Calgary, Alberta
To view the Social Media Release please enter the following link into your web browser
http://smr.newswire.ca/en/southern-sudanese-referendum-commission/southern-sudan-referendum
TORONTO, Nov. 19 /CNW/ - Registration for Out of Country Voting (OCV) has begun in Canada for the Southern Sudan Referendum. Media Contact: Theodora Philos, International Organization for Migration
Voter registration for Southern Sudanese populations living in Canada has begun in Toronto, Ontario and Calgary, Alberta. International observers, including representatives from the Carter Center and US Embassy, have been accredited and are observing the process. Gatdeet Wakou, the SSRC representative in Canada, is encouraging Southern Sudanese to register. He says "the time has come for eligible Sothern Sudanese voters in Canada to register in order to have the opportunity to vote in this historic referendum in January 2011. The SSRC encourages you to take an informed decision and exercise your democratic right. It is a noble duty to determine your future by yourself."
What: The Southern Sudan Referendum, scheduled for January 9 - 15, 2011, will provide the people of Southern Sudan with the opportunity to confirm the unity of Sudan or vote for secession. To ensure all eligible voters have the opportunity to participate in this Referendum, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) is assisting the Southern Sudan Referendum Commission (SSRC) in conducting registration and voting in eight countries including Canada to register eligible voters. Only Southern Sudanese people will be allowed to register and vote; to be eligible to vote in the January Referendum, Southern Sudanese peoples living in Canada must register in advance. A potential voter must have the voter registration card with him/her to vote in January.
When: Registration will take place from November 15 - December 1, 2010.
Where: Registration will take place in two locations in Canada: Toronto, Ontario (2103 Weston Road) and Calgary, Alberta (3505 - 52nd Street SE). These locations were identified using minimum population criteria established by the SSRC based on the best available data of the population density of Southern Sudanese in Canada. To register to vote, Southern Sudanese people must travel in person to one of these two locations. Registration Centres will be open from 10:00 AM - 7:00 PM Monday through Saturday and 12:00 PM - 5:00 PM on Sundays. Voters are required to vote at the same location where they registered. In January 2011, only voters with a registration card will be eligible to vote.
*Note: Eligible voters have the option of registering and voting at any OCV centre, including centres in the United States (Phoenix, Arizona: 19640 N. 35th Avenue; Omaha, Nebraska 4320 Fort Street and Washington, DC (216 S. Peyton Street.) Similarly, Southern Sudanese living in the United States can register at Centres in Canada. A visa to enter the host country to register and vote may be required.
What qualifications are needed to register? To register, a person needs to be 18 or over at the time of registering, and fulfil the eligibility criteria issued by the SSRC, which are provided. To prove eligibility and identity, he/she must have a written certificate/document issued by a Sudanese authority (even if expired) or a document issued by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). Canadian identity documents do NOT satisfy this requirement, however if the eligible voter does not have an identity document, community "identifiers" from the Southern Sudan communities representing different indigenous groups will be at each of the Centers to provide an oral testimony confirming or denying their eligibility. Additional information can be found here: http://www.southernsudanocv.org/ or by calling: 1-888-898-4048
What is the Southern Sudanese Referendum Commission (SSRC)? According to Article 8 of the 2009 Referendum Act, the SSRC was established by the Presidency of the Republic immediately following the formulation of this Act. The Commission is located in Khartoum and has a Southern Sudan Referendum Bureau in Juba. The Commission comprises the Chairperson, a Deputy, and seven members appointed by the President of the Republic, with the consent of the First Vice-President, in accordance with the provisions of Article 58 (2) (c) of the Constitution and with the approval of the members of the National Legislature with simple majority. It includes women and representatives of Civil Society Organizations. For further information on the SSRC, see www.ssrc.sd
What is the International Organization for Migration (IOM)? IOM is a leading inter-governmental organization in the field of migration and works closely with governmental, intergovernmental and non-governmental partners. The IOM has been asked by the SSRC to support it in conducting the OCV for Southern Sudanese in the eight countries selected. The OCV operations and the IOM's involvement are specified in the 2009 Referendum Act. The IOM's operational role does not involve covering transportation and accommodation costs for voters.
For further information:
For media inquiries, please contact:
Theodora Philos
+1-416-807-1927
For public enquiries, please contact the IOM - OCV Call Centre:
+1-416-927-9555 or Toll Free: 1-888-898-4048
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