The Electoral Commission of Ghana has slated the Exhibition of the Voters Register from October 21 to 31, 2018, ahead of the referendum on the creation of six other regions in Ghana.
Speaking at a press conference in Accra on Wednesday, the Deputy Chairperson of Electoral Commission, Dr. Bossman Asare said the exhibition will take place in only the 47 Districts in the four proposed regions to be created.
According to him, all polling stations within the carved areas for the Referendum will be designated as Exhibition centres for the display of the Provisional Voters Register for public inspection.
He added that, all Exhibition centres within the carved areas will open from 7:00 am to 6:00 pm daily from 25th to 31st October, 2018 including Saturdays and Sundays.
The Commission said the exercise is in pursuant to public elections regulations 2016 clause 91, 23 2 (a) (b), that mandates the Commission to display the provisional register of voters of each polling station to the public for inspection at the registration centre for the period specified by the Commission in the Gazette Notice.
Chairperson of the EC, Mrs Jean Adukwei Mensa, said the exhibition, which follows the successful voter’s registration would provide an opportunity for the electorate to safeguard the credibility of the Voters Register.
All polling stations within the carved areas for the Referendum she said would be designated as Exhibition centres for the display of the Provisional Voters Register for public inspection.
Mrs. Mensa stated that during the period of the exhibition, both the 2018 provisional voters register and the 2016 voters register would be placed at the exhibition centres for prospective voters to verify their details as captured and make requests for amendments or insertions where necessary.
At the Centres, she noted that the Commission would show exceptions, exclusion and multiple registration list adding that all prospective voters whose details appeared on any of the lists would not have their names and photographs on the main lists.
Mrs. Mensa remarked that voters who visit any of the centres were expected to request for the inclusion of omitted names, the removal of names of unqualified voters from the register and the removal of names of deceased voters from the register.
Voters she said could check for the correction of any misspelled names, the correction of any wrong registration centre codes as a result of clerical error and the replacement of poor quality or damaged Voter ID cards.
Touching on logistics, she noted that all logistics for the exhibition exercise had been procured and been delivered to the Districts before the start of the Exhibition exercise.
To ensure effective public education and publicity of the exhibition exercise in the carved areas, the Commission has taken the necessary steps including training of district electoral officers involved in this exercise and had engaged with Public Interest and Community Based Organisations, as well as Faith Based Organisations to explain the modalities of the exercise.
EC officers she explained would visit various radio stations in the designated areas to take part in radio interviews and panel discussions to talk about the exercise.
As part of the sensitisation efforts, Mrs. Mensa said the various districts had been provided with Commandeered Vehicles that had been mounted with public address systems to undertake publicity.
She said, “Street Announcers have therefore been temporarily employed for all the Districts in the Referendum enclaves to announce and publicise the arrangements for the exercise.
“Different kinds of pictorial educational posters which depict the various elements of the processes of the Exhibition exercise have also been posted at vantage points in all the Communities in the carved out areas.”
Mrs. Mensa added that radio jingles with informative and educational messages on the exercise had been produced in English and translated into local dialects including; Ewe, Akan, Dagbani, Nzema and Hausa to help inform people.
The Electoral Commission said the recently held limited voters registration for Ghanaians in districts that fall within the newly proposed regions was very successful.
The Commission said although a few people were unable to register because of reasons beyond the control of the Commission, such persons will have another opportunity to register.
The Deputy Chairman of the Commission in charge of Operations, Samuel Tettey, acknowledged some disturbances in two districts, but was quick to add that the issues were resolved and citizens allowed to register.
Story by Steven Kojo Tetteh
