By Jeremiah Nutsugah
In a significant development, the Electoral Commission (EC) has announced that voters without Ghana Identification cards or Passport cards must visit the district offices where they intend to vote with two guarantors.
During a press conference in Accra on Monday, the Chairperson of the EC, Mrs. Jean Mensah, emphasized that each guarantor is limited to vouching for a maximum of 10 people, as stipulated by law. Violations will face legal consequences.
On March 7th, 2024, at an IPAC meeting with political parties, the Electoral Commission abandoned its intentions to eliminate the guarantor system for the limited registration exercise starting today.
The initial proposal to eliminate the guarantor system was set aside after inputs from political parties were considered and incorporated into the updated electoral calendar, as confirmed by participants at the IPAC session.
Speaking at the Press Briefing she stated that, the documents required for registration are either the Ghana Identification Card or passport card and must be obtained through national institution authorities. Voters who do not possess any of these documents are required by law to visit the district offices in the district where they intend to vote with two guarantors.”
Speaking about the last registration exercise in 2023, She stated that, during the voter registration exercise, the guarantor system was breached, with individuals vouching for more than 10 persons, which is against the law.
She added that they are engaging with the Data Protection Agencies and Ghana Police Service to explore avenues to deal with violators of the guarantor system.
Section four, subsection one of regulation Constitutional Instrument (CI) 91 as amended states that a registered voter shall not vouch for the identity of more than 10 persons, making it an offense to do so.
Speaking about underage voters attempting to access the voter register, she emphasized that they are confident that law enforcement officers will assist them in preventing minors and foreigners from accessing the register.
She called on citizens to report any instances of foreigners at the centers.
According to Article 45 of the 1992 constitution, the exercise will occur at the 268 district offices of the commission nationwide, concluding on May 27th, 2024.
