The Electoral Commission (EC) aims to register between 50,000 to 70,000 new voters in its upcoming mop-up voter registration exercise, scheduled for August 1-3, 2024.
The exercise seeks to capture eligible voters who turned 18 after the recent limited voter registration or missed the opportunity to register previously.
According to Mr. Samuel Tettey, Deputy Chairman of the EC in charge of Operations, “The Commission had designated its 268 District Offices, 26 Public Universities, and 41 Prison Centres across the country for the exercise.”
He emphasized that registration would take place online, with MTN providing stable internet connectivity. “The registration would commence at 0700 hours and close at 1800 hours, each day,” he said.
To participate, eligible applicants must present a Ghana Card or Ghana Passport as proof of eligibility. “In the absence of any of the aforementioned documents, an applicant would require two persons who were already registered voters as guarantors,” he stated.
Mr. Tettey cautioned, “In their absence, two registered voters can serve as guarantors, but ‘Registered Voters can only guarantee for 10 persons’.”
He explained that guarantors must ensure that those they wish to guarantee for were “Ghanaians who are at least 18 years old and meet the other requirements for registration, including being residents or ordinary residents of the electoral area where they wish to register as voters.”
Political parties are allowed to send agents to observe the exercise, but Mr. Tettey urged them to conduct themselves professionally. “The Commission has informed the Ghana Police Service about the Mop-Up exercise,” he added.
He assured that security would be present at registration centers to ensure a peaceful environment. “There would be security presence at the various Registration Centres to ensure peaceful environment,” he stated.
The EC has scheduled the exhibition of the Voters Register for August 20-27, 2024, at all polling stations nationwide.
“All registered voters are encouraged to go to their polling stations to check that their names are in the voters register or use the short code to electronically check their names in the voters register,” he added.
By: Michael Seh
