A registrant at one of the centres in Accra
The limited voter registration exercise by the Electoral Commission (EC) across the country yesterday took off smoothly after initial technical glitches at some registration centres.
The nation is carrying out the Biometric Voter Registration ahead of December 7 presidential and parliamentary elections.
DAILY GUIDE reporters who observed the process said that technical issues at a number of registration centres on Tuesday nearly hampered the smooth start of the Biometric Voter Registration exercise.
The technical issues included internet connectivity, printer malfunctions, as well as cameras and thumbprint machines that could not connect to computers in some centres.
Northern Region
Eric Kombat reports from Sagnarigu that the development left some first-time registrants stranded at the Sagnarigu EC office registration centre.
According to him, one of the applicants, Esther Laari, complained about the delay in having her name added to the voter register after arriving at the Sagnarigu EC office about 6:00 a.m.
“I came here around 6:00 a.m. and so far they have not been able to register anybody due to the challenge. The situation here is really bad,” she snapped.
He reported that the Tamale Metro EC Director, Bismark Nteh, explained the technical challenge was related to the taking of the applicant’s picture, and added that the issue had been reported to officials in Accra for redress.
“We were able to log in but immediately you get to the picture of the applicant, the system will not allow you to proceed to the details of the applicant and so we informed Accra and we were told the engineers are working tirelessly to resolve the challenge and fortunately the system has started working,” he explained.
He assured applicants that the EC would do its best to ensure that all applicants go through the process smoothly and acquire their ID card.
Greater Accra
In Accra, Prince Fiifi Yorke reports the situation was not different at the Accra Technical University registration centre where students stayed in long queues, waiting for EC officials to rectify the anomaly and begin the registration process.
According to him, as of 2:00 p.m., no applicant had been registered or provided a voter ID card due to technical problems.
He stated that EC personnel at the centre informed him that the problem was a national issue that was being addressed by the Commission’s IT officers.
“The challenge we are facing here is not only peculiar to Accra Technical University, but it has been experienced across the country. As it stands now, we are patiently waiting for directives from our superiors as to what we should do,” the officer explained.
One of the students, named Belinda Sey, expressed her disappointment and frustration with the registration process.
Western Region
In the Western Region, Emmanuel Opoku reports from Takoradi that both New Patriotic Party (NPP) and National Democratic Congress (NDC) agents at the University of Mines and Technology (UMaT) centre for the ongoing limited voter registration exercise were concerned about the delay in the start of the exercise.
According to political party representatives, the EC previously stated that it had put in place appropriate measures to ensure a successful exercise.
They were shocked that such difficulties were encountered at the outset of the exercise, slowing the registration procedure.
According to the NDC agent at the centre, the exercise which was supposed to start at 7:00 a.m. yesterday started after 12 noon.
“I arrived at the centre at exactly 6:00 a.m., anticipating the exercise to begin at 7:00 a.m. However, the machines for the exercise were brought to the centre at about 8:00 a.m.,” Abdul Kudus, the NDC agent, fumed.
Despite the delay, Kudus stated that EC personnel were unable to operate the machines and had to send them out to be replaced. They could not operate the new ones until after 12:00 p.m.
For his part, the NPP’s agent, Samuel Opoku, also the NPP TESCON President at UMaT, stated that he believed the problem was a national error.
“We learned that the problem is prevalent throughout the country. However, we believe that tomorrow the system will be able to function as intended,” he stated.
Ishmael Mensah, the EC representative at the centre, acknowledged that the exercise began after 12 p.m. and that as of 12:37 p.m., only one person had registered.
Eastern Region
From the Eastern Region, Daniel Bampoe reports that the region also had its share of the nationwide problem, which was said to be a network challenge.
According to him, at Koforidua, New Juaben South Municipality, a number of applicants who had lined up to be captured by the EC as new voters were disappointed.
As of 11 a.m. on Tuesday, May 7, 2024, none of the first-time voters who showed up had been successfully registered.
Kofi Asante Owusu, the EC’s New Juaben South Municipal Director, stated that the issue had been brought to the attention of officials at the headquarters, and that they hoped it would be resolved shortly.
He stated that, in addition to the Municipal Electoral Office, a team from Koforidua Technical University will register students for two days, and a mobile team will be deployed to rural locations.
He stated that the delay also affected districts such as Afram Plains North and South, Nkawkaw, Abirim, Achaise, Akim Oda, Lower Manya Krobo, Ayensuano, and Suhum.
Bono Region
From Bono Region, Daniel Y. Dayee reports that as of 12:30 p.m. registration centres in the Sunyani East Constituency had not commenced registration, which is targeting first time voters in the region.
Ernest Opoku, the Municipal Electoral Officer, blamed the situation on a code activation failure, thereby denying them access to register applicants.
He said the problem ran across all the three registration centres in the constituency.
The problem was resolved after some minutes past 12:00 p.m., he indicated.
The EC official stated that they expected to register approximately 5,000 applicants in the Sunyani East Constituency, indicating that the limited registration drive in 2023 registered 3,583 in the constituency.
Challenges Resolved
Meanwhile, the Commission said the technical issues in most of the registration centres were resolved by 12 noon yesterday.
“Consequently, the registration exercise is proceeding smoothly in almost all the registration centres nationwide,” Michael Boadu, Ag. Director, Public Affairs of EC, announced in a statement.
“The Commission wishes to bring to the attention of the general public that, following our monitoring of the voters registration exercise this morning, we observed some technical challenges with internet connectivity in a number of our centres.
“This delayed the start of the registration at a number of the registration centres. We are happy to note that by 12 p.m., the technical issues in most of the registration centres had been resolved,” he stressed.
According to the Commission, it will continue to monitor the registration exercise and promptly address any issues that may arise.
“We encourage all qualified applicants to avail themselves and register to vote in their respective districts,” the statement concluded.
By Ernest Kofi Adu