Dr. Serebour Quaicoe
The plan of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) to deploy drones to monitor the December general elections has been shot down by the Electoral Commission (EC).
The NDC in the Greater Accra Region had earlier announced that it would deploy drones during the upcoming general election.
The Regional Chairman, Emmanuel Nii Ashie Moore, who announced this, said the deployment of drones is part of efforts to secure two million votes for the party in this year’s elections.
Mr. Moore said the aim is to strengthen the NDC’s monitoring systems to prevent potential rigging, adding that preparations were well underway to commence the training of constituency executives on how to use the drones to monitor ground activities.
However, the EC has stressed that such a move would constitute an invasion of voters’ electoral privacy and a breach of security protocols, and thus, it will not be allowed.
The EC Director of Electoral Services, Dr. Serebour Quaicoe, responding to the strategy by the NDC on radio, said the EC has not received official notification from the party regarding the deployment of drones.
According to him, allowing such actions would violate security protocols and compromise the privacy of voters.
“Polling stations are security zones, so they will have to apply to the security people for permission to be granted. They will have to apply to the Electoral Commission for permission to be granted.
“But my point is that how comfortable will you feel that you are going to vote at the polling station and there’s a drone hovering around you? How sure are you with respect to the secrecy of the ballot,” Dr. Quaicoe questioned.
He maintained that it would be challenging for the EC or the police to approve the use of drones at polling stations, emphasising that polling stations are considered security zones.
“The fact remains that polling stations are security zones. We want to ensure the secrecy of the ballot. So at the polling station where I am going to make my choice, I want to vote in that secrecy,” he stated.
A Daily Guide Report