The Electoral Commission (EC) has affirmed its commitment to proceeding with the planned limited voter registration exercise across its 268 district offices. The exercise is scheduled to take place from September 12, 2023, to October 2, 2023. Apexnewsgh.com reported
Dr Bossman Eric Asare, the Deputy Chair in charge of Corporate Services at the EC, stated that the commission is unable to make any revisions to the current plan due to time constraints. He acknowledged the potential inconvenience for some individuals residing far from the district offices but assured them that there would be another opportunity for registration in the future.
“We recognise the challenges. We know there are some places in Nkwanta South, Afram Plains and in almost all the regions of our country, some of the places are so far away from the districts”, he said.
“In the unlikely event that people are not able to register, we will still be able to do it again after the District Assembly Elections”.
According to him, the proposed Constitutional Instrument by the EC aims to designate the Ghana Card as the only valid identification document for registration. This would allow new voters to be registered on the electoral roll for a longer period of time.
Certain political parties, such as the National Democratic Congress, have expressed reservations regarding the EC’s choice to conduct the limited voter registration exercise at the district offices instead of within electoral areas, as it had been done in previous exercises.
There was concern expressed by the parties that new voters in remote communities may not be able to access the district offices and could be disenfranchised. Mr John Mahama, the flagbearer of the main opposition National Democratic Congress, also voiced this concern and urged the EC to ensure that the process is open to all electoral areas.
However, Dr Asare stated to the GNA that the EC is sticking to its original plan. He assured that they are fully prepared for Tuesday, with the training of personnel being finalized and some materials already distributed. They do not anticipate any challenges and believe that everything is set for the start of the registration exercise in all 268 registration centers on Tuesday.
Source: Apexnewsgh.com/Ghana
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