By Dr. Chris Tokpah
I just read online about a new proposal to expand Liberia’s House of Representatives from 73 to 89 seats. On the surface, it sounds reasonable. As the population grows, representation should grow too. But the more I think about it, the more it feels like we may be solving the wrong problem.
Liberia is not struggling because it has too few representatives. It is struggling because the system we already have is not delivering enough for the people.
Over the past three years alone, taxpayers have spent more than 128 million dollars maintaining the current House of Representatives. That figure does not include the cost of elections. Yet many communities still lack basic services such as roads, schools, and healthcare. If more representatives were the answer, we would already be seeing better results.
The real issue is not the number of representatives. It is whether they truly represent the people.
In many districts, candidates win with less than 25 percent of the vote. That means most voters preferred someone else. Expanding the legislature without fixing this problem simply increases the number of officials with weak mandates.
And then there is performance. The high turnover we see from one election to the next suggests that many representatives do not meet expectations. Voters are constantly searching for better options, yet the system itself remains unchanged. Adding more seats does not fix that. It just gives us more of the same.
If we are serious about improving governance, there are better options.
First, the population threshold for creating constituencies should be increased. The current threshold appears too low, leading to too many districts and an oversized legislature.
Second, Liberia should improve how elections are conducted. Instead of costly runoff elections, voters could rank their top three candidates on a single ballot. As weaker candidates are eliminated, their votes are reassigned based on voter preferences. This may not always produce a perfect majority, but it will produce a far more legitimate outcome than the current system.
Third, stronger qualification requirements should reduce the number of candidates on the ballot. Too many candidates split the vote and weaken representation.
At a broader level, we should not be afraid to ask bigger questions. In an earlier paper titled Reimagining Liberia’s Legislature: The Case for Getting Rid of the House of Representatives, I argued that Liberia could function more effectively without a House of Representatives, with the Senate taking on full legislative and oversight responsibilities. While that may seem like a bold position, it reflects a practical concern. For a country with limited resources, maintaining two legislative chambers may be more costly than necessary. A more streamlined system could free up resources for national development.
Finally, this issue must not be decided in isolation. Any major restructuring of representation should be subjected to a broad national conversation and, where appropriate, a referendum, so that citizens, not just lawmakers, can determine the future of their governance system.
Liberia does not need more lawmakers.
It needs a system that works for the people.
About the Author
Dr. Chris Tokpah is the Associate Vice President for Institutional Effectiveness at Delaware County Community College in Pennsylvania, where he leads institutional research, evaluation, and accreditation activities. He is a Coach for Achieving the Dream and a Peer Evaluator for the Middle States Commission on Higher Education, providing technical guidance to colleges and participating in accreditation reviews.
Dr. Tokpah holds a Ph.D. in Evaluation and Measurement from Kent State University, an MBA with an emphasis in Management Information Systems from Kent State University, and a B.Sc. in Mathematics from the University of Liberia.
He has extensive experience leading research and evaluation projects sponsored by the World Bank, IDA, Geneva Global, USAID, and the African Development Bank. He is a co-owner of the Center for Research, Evaluation, and Policy, a Liberian consulting firm specializing in strategic planning, monitoring and evaluation, social science research, and training.
He is also actively involved in development initiatives in Liberia and serves on the boards of nonprofit organizations supporting education and health services. Dr. Tokpah frequently writes on policy issues in Liberia. His writings can be found at https://cenrepliberia.org/volunteer-work, and he can be reached at ctokpah@cenrepliberia.org.
