The Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) of The Gambia has announced a limited window for registered voters to replace lost, damaged or mutilated voter cards. This exercise, which started on November 1, 2026, is aimed at enabling eligible voters who are already registered but have lost or damaged their cards to obtain replacements. The announcement has attracted attention, particularly because the exercise is taking place about a month before the presidential election scheduled for December 5, 2026.
The IEC Chairman, Joseph Colley, announced the planned replacement exercise during a stakeholder engagement after the 2026 Supplementary Voter Registration exercise concluded. Colley said the Commission would open a limited window before the December election for voters to replace lost, damaged, or mutilated voter cards. He explained that the measure was intended to ensure that eligible citizens are not disenfranchised. The announcement formed part of the Commission’s post-registration roadmap and preparations for the December presidential election.
The replacement exercise will run from November 1 to November 15, 2026, and will be conducted at all ten IEC Election Offices across the country. The offices will operate daily from 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., including weekends. Importantly, voters can replace their cards at any IEC Election Office, regardless of where they originally registered. This means that a voter who registered in Basse, for instance, can visit an IEC Election Office in Brikama to apply for a replacement.
The exercise is intended for people who have already registered as voters and been issued voter cards but have subsequently lost or damaged them. It is therefore important to distinguish between two categories: Registered voters who need replacement cards because their original cards have been lost, damaged, or mutilated, and unregistered citizens who do not have existing voter registration records or voter cards. The replacement exercise is not a fresh voter registration exercise and does not allow unregistered citizens to obtain their first voter cards.
This is not the first time The Gambia has conducted a similar exercise. The IEC conducted a similar voter card replacement exercise ahead of the 2021 presidential election. The exercise ran from November 15 to November 21, 2021, and was conducted at the IEC’s seven regional offices. At the time, the Commission restricted eligibility to people who had already been issued voter cards during the 2021 General Voter Registration exercise.
Replacing a voter card is distinct from registering to vote again. According to the IEC, voter card replacement and voter registration serve different purposes. Voter registration is the process through which eligible citizens are added to the electoral register and issued voter cards for the first time. Replacement, on the other hand, applies to people whose registration records already exist but whose physical voter cards are no longer available or usable.
Registered voters whose cards have been lost, damaged or mutilated should visit any of the ten IEC Election Offices between November 1 and November 15, 2026, to apply for replacements. They should also follow any additional instructions issued by the Commission regarding identification, supporting documentation, and the replacement procedure. The IEC stated on its website that the replacement programme covers cards issued during the 2021 general voter-registration exercise and the 2026 supplementary registration exercise that have been lost, damaged, or mutilated.
Key points
- The replacement exercise will run from November 1 to November 15, 2026.
- Voters can replace their cards at any IEC Election Office, regardless of where they originally registered.
- The exercise is only for registered voters who have lost, damaged or mutilated their voter cards.
