Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu
The Majority Leader and Minister of Parliamentary Affairs, Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, has urged the Electoral Commission (EC) not to do away with the indelible ink that is applied to the forefinger of voters during elections.
According to him, since there is no “blessed assurance” from the EC that its database is synchronized, application of the electoral ink remains the effective method to prevent electoral fraud such as double voting.
Speaking on a number of issues on GTV yesterday, Mr. Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu said, “If we have a database that talks to itself or the data of EC is such that you can’t, within a constituency, vote in one electoral area and go to another to vote, that I believe is sacrosanct.”
“In a district like KMA, you can’t vote in one place and go to another, and that I understand is the case. But is that the case for the entire region such that a person who might have succeeded in doing this can move from say Konongo and go to Offinso to cast his vote again?
“Is that possible? If we are assured that there is no possibility and once you touch the bottom you will be found out; your fingerprints will show that you have voted somewhere in the region then we can do away with it,” he intimated.
He said the EC’s attempt to do away with the indelible ink would not receive his support or the New Patriotic Party (NPP).
The Majority Leader indicated that the EC reintroduced the indelible ink during the Saturday primaries of the NPP, but pointed out that the ink used by the EC was too light and faded away within a few hours.
He said the watery-based ink appeared not to contain a solvent such as alcohol to allow for faster drying, and therefore wants the EC to take note of it in the general election.
Electoral ink is used as an effective security measure to avoid double voting during elections. The ink is usually applied on the left hand index finger, particularly to the cuticle, which is quite impossible to remove rapidly.
The ink can be applied in a variety of ways, depending on the situation and preference, but the most common methods include dipping bottles with sponge inserts, brushes, spray bottles, and marker pens.
By Ernest Kofi Adu