Address by the Chief Electoral Officer, Jasper Highwood Anisi at the Launch of the New Look Official Website

The clock has been ticking with our electoral countdown, and in five day’s time, we will be voting.

Welcome members of the media to your first briefing for Election Day, which is next week, Wednesday, April 17. Straight after that, you will be covering the results of the 2024 Joint Election – our first simultaneous elections of the National General Election or the voting for parliamentary members, and voting for members to the provincial assemblies and Honiara City Council.

It is with great pride and also a sense of responsibility that we also launch the the new-look and official website of the Solomon Islands Electoral Commission (SIEC), available at https://siec.gov.sb/. This digital platform stands as a testament to our unwavering commitment to transparency, accessibility, and the empowerment of voters in our nation.

Our new website is designed with the user in mind, ensuring an intuitive, informative, and seamless experience for everyone.

It will serve as the cornerstone for all electoral resources, providing comprehensive details on the Joint Election, voter registration, electoral processes, and the upcoming electoral events.

It’s intended to be a one-stop portal where citizens, including the media, youth and tertiary students, can find insightful updates and comprehensive information about their electoral rights and duties. The refreshed website also provides quick access to our polling station locator, the Joint Election Results and Joint Election Statistics (www.solomonelections.net)

Our websites key features include:

• User-friendly Navigation: Easy access to essential information, ensuring that our people can quickly find what they need, when they need
• Comprehensive Voter Information: From registration to understanding the voting process, every step is clearly
• Election Insights: Up-to-date information on past and upcoming elections, candidate lists, and election
• Educational Resources: Materials and resources to educate and encourage informed participation in our democratic
• Accessibility: Ensuring that our website is accessible to all, and for people with disabilities. This is a priority for us with our digital transformation and our electoral reforms and is in keeping with our commitments in our Gender Equality and Social Inclusion (GESI) Policy. We strive to have social inclusion responsive programmes and services that supports the equal participation of people with disabilities in decision-making and

In developing this website and continuing to enhance it, we have willingly embraced the latest technologies to provide a robust platform that will serve Solomon Island voters for years to come. We see this as a key and significant step in our progression to have a digital bridge connecting the Solomon Islands Electoral Commission with all voters.

Acknowledgement

I would also like to acknowledge some key organisations and partners that helped make this happen.

First of all, I would like to thank our own govt ICT agency, the SIG ICT Services and the Digital Transformation and Strategic Project for swiftly and efficiently coming on board to facilitate the migration. Thank you SIG ICT Services. I would also like to acknowledge our previous web developers and George Dennis and Novus for being there in support.

Finally, I would like to thank WebMedia South Pacific for developing the new site, lending their expertise and dedication and swiftly working with our team in the Communications and Awareness Section and SIG-ICT services, to bring forward our new digital platform.

I also acknowledge our development partners which backs the development of our virtual presence – the UNDP SECSIP project funded by the European and the Government of Australia.

Tagio tumas and thank you all. Please explore the site and share its link .