Voter registration review committee releases cards to challenged applicants
The District Registration Review Committee (DRRC) of the Ledzokuku Municipal Registration Centre would soon address the remaining applicant challenges in the ongoing limited registration exercise.
Eleven applicants were challenged and cleared based on factors such as age, residence, and nationality, among others, and their cards were released to them by the committee.
In an interview, Mr Cephas Sowah, a member of the committee, told the Ghana News Agency that the challenge mechanism was important to establish a valid voter’s register and that other applicants were awaiting clearance to get their voter identity cards.
“Actually, it is allowed to challenge an applicant’s registration. This protest form is brought to the committee and when we do not find any basis for the challenge, we release the card to applicants.”
The committee, which includes representatives from the Teshie Traditional Council, the District Officer of the Electoral Commission, political party representatives, and the Police.
Mr Sowah said that so far, applicants who had been challenged had been cleared and their cards had been issued.
“Those that we cleared were smallish in stature. Some of them looked small because of sporting activities… so you may think they are about 14 or 16 years of age, but they were able to prove their ages using their National Health Insurance Cards and other identities,” he said.
After 14 days of the exercise, over 2,666 applicants in the Ledzokuku municipality have so far been registered and issued with their Voter ID cards.
Mr Kwarteng Gyamfi, District Officer, Ledzokuku Municipal Registration Centre, observed that the number of applicants were continuously increasing as the days passed.
“I was given about 12,000 forms for the exercise, so the target is around that, and we are working towards that.”
According to the District Officer, the guarantor system has been rigorously monitored to prevent guarantors and applicants from flouting registration requirements.
Individuals who violated the rules would face penalties, he warned.
“Guarantors who vouch for more than 10 applicants would have their names taken out of the voters register and be put in an exception list, which would prevent them from voting in any electoral process for a period.
“It happened to someone during the 2020 elections, he recently came to find out whether he can register this time round but it’s impossible.”
Mr Gyamfi stated that the limited registration process had gone smoothly, and that political parties had been cooperative so far.
Meanwhile, political parties have taken a keen interest in the limited registration exercise, attempting to inform and encourage voters to participate.
The two major political parties, the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and the National Democratic Congress (NDC), have been working to provide applicants with transportation and food.
Frank Nii Dua, Director of Elections for the Ledzokuku NDC, told the GNA that the party’s goal was educate the populace about civic responsibility and “we are going all out to get the numbers.”
“For our party, we are all right with the level of coordination. We have put in place measures to ensure that the registration process is free and fair to enable more people to take advantage of the opportunity.”
Wisdom Donkor, the NPP Constituency Secretary for Ledzokuku, noted that while coordination had been good, getting more people in the area to register was critical for the party.
“We have provided vehicles at vantage points, especially Teshie Maamli while reminding constituents about their civic responsibility.
“We are helping the exercise because our constituency is big. There is only one centre…so if someone lives at Martey Tsuru, Okpoi Gonno and its environs and you are not careful, the person will not come because of the distance,” he said.
Source: GNA