Dr. Bossman Eric Asare
The Electoral Commission (EC) has announced the exhibition of the provisional voters’ register as part of efforts to ensure a robust and credible register for the 2024 general election.
Deputy Chairperson of the EC in charge of Corporate Services, Dr. Bossman Eric Asare, made the announcement at the “Let the Citizen Know” series in Accra yesterday.
The exhibition aims to correct any errors or discrepancies in the register, ensuring its accuracy and integrity, he explained, and added that this move is a crucial step towards a successful and credible electoral process.
He said the exhibition, which will begin from today, August 20, 2024 in all of the Commission’s 268 districts across the country, will end on Tuesday, August 27, 2024.
“The voters’ register in its current state is provisional, and the exhibition exercise is meant to correct the register of all errors before it is finalised for the elections,” he stressed.
Dr. Asare said the EC is mandated by law to display the provisional voters’ register for public inspection at all polling stations.
Citing Regulation 23 (1) of the Public Elections, Registration of Voters, Regulations, 2016 Constitutional Instrument, Dr. Asare explained that this exercise enables all registered voters to verify their registration status and ensure their names are included in the voters’ register.
“This public inspection process is a critical step in ensuring the accuracy and integrity of the electoral roll, and the EC encourages all registered voters to participate,” he said.
According to him, at the exhibition centres, registered voters can request the inclusion of omitted names, objection to names of unqualified voters on the register, removal of names of deceased voters from the register, replacement of poor quality or damaged voter ID cards and others.
He added that registered voters can also correct wrong spelling of names, correct wrong registration centre codes, and amend other registration details as a result of clerical error.
According to the EC, voters are required to go to the exhibition centres with their voter identity cards to verify their details.
He, however, indicated that registered voters who fail to send their voter ID cards could also verify their details but they cannot request any amendments to their details.
He further mentioned that voters who may want to effect major changes or corrections during the exhibition of the voters’ register, such as complete change of the name of a voter or addition of new names, change of polling station code, change of photographs and inclusion of omitted names, were required to go to the District Office of the Commission for a biometric authentication of the voter before the change is effected.
Dr. Bossman also indicated that the special voters’ register will also be displayed at all the district offices of the Commission and, therefore, urged all those who applied to be included in the special voters’ register to go to the district office of the Commission in their constituencies to ensure their names were in the special voters’ register.
He further stated that registered voters who are unable to visit the exhibition centres to verify their details can verify their details electronically on all networks with a short code.
By Ebenezer K. Amponsah