Reuters News Service is reporting that Elvis Presley plans to be a ghost voter at the 2007 national elections in the jungle-clad South Pacific nation of Papua New Guinea. That is, if you believe the nation’s electoral rolls.
In 2006 almost half of Papua New Guinea’s 4.9 million registered voters were regarded by the electoral commission as ghost voters and did not exist.
The commission has been trying for a year to update voter registration ahead of June 30 elections, but admits voter rolls in remote, rugged highland electorates remain vastly inaccurate.
Electoral Commissioner Andrew Trawen said ghost voters remained a problem with several Elvis Presleys, who died (theoretically, at least) in 1977, registering to vote, alongside a handful of Tom Jones, and a couple of kings and queens.
As of March, the country’s five highland provinces have voter registrations ranging from 116 percent to 132 percent, said the commission in its voter analysis.
Of course, based on our extensive photo research, it’s possible the King is still hiding out in the South Pacific. But if he’s not, heads will roll.Read the full story from Reuters.
