EC begins limited registration on June 7

The Electoral Commission has announced that it would undertake a limited voter’s registration exercise in all the district offices and some selected polling centres in some of the electoral areas across the country.

The exercise will commence on Friday June 7 to 27 at 0700 hours to 1800 hours including Saturdays and Sundays.

Mrs Jean Mensah, the Chairperson, EC, speaking at a press briefing in Accra said the exercise was to offer opportunity to Ghanaians who have attained 18 years and those who never registered since the last registration to do so.

Mrs Mensah explained that the Commission would use the Voter Management System which have been installed in all the district offices of the Commission, adding that qualified applicants were required to visit the offices where they reside for the registration process.

The Chairperson said the reason for conducting the exercise in some selected electoral areas was to ensure that qualified applicants located in riverine, distant and difficult to access areas which cannot take advantage of the registration process were not disenfranchised but afforded the opportunity to register.

“This is one of the many measures the Commission is adopting to mitigate some of the challenges associated with the limited voter registration exercise at the district offices”, he added.

She cautioned the public that, it was an offence for an applicant to register at the district offices and also at any of the registration centres in the selected electoral areas.

Touching on the registration process, Mrs Mensah said an applicant’s fingers would be checked for the indelible ink mark, which would indicate whether the applicant had registered elsewhere or not.

She said the applicant’s identity would be checked thereafter and must submit a passport, a driver’s license, national identification card, a non-biometric voter’s card as evidence of identification to prove eligibility.

Mrs Mensah explained that an applicant who do not have any of the documents listed above must complete a voter registration identification guarantee form and signed by two registered voters for interview.

Also, she said the applicant’s fingerprints would be scanned, photograph taken with a webcam, personal data captured and card printed and laminated and handed over to prospective voter.

On measures to curtailed unforeseen challenges, Mrs Mensah said the Commission will hire a standby generator to be used in the district offices and polling centres in the selected electoral areas during power outages.

“The Commission is also engaging the Power Distribution Services of Ghana to ensure uninterrupted power supply during the registration period”.

She stated that the Commission had extended the duration of the registration from the usual 14 days to 21 days to reduce the incidence of long queues and as well provide enough time to enable those who seek to register to do so in comfort.

She said the Commission would extend the registration time beyond 1800 hours in the event of long queues, adding that the registration period could be extended if there was evidence that a number of Ghanaians were unable to do so for valid reasons.

Mrs Mensah announced that the Commission was recruiting additional registration officers and data entry clerks to serve as a reliever and ensure there were no breaks in the registration process.

She gave the assurance that the registration materials needed for the exercise had been procured and ready for distribution to the regions and the districts.

Source: GNA

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