Care for Free and Fair Elections Ghana (“CARE” GHANA) has appealed to the Electoral Commission of Ghana (EC) to extend the limited voter registration exercise for ten more days to ensure that majority of Ghanaians who have turned 18 get registered.
Though the EC has earlier offered to register eligible voters who were in the queue by the close of the limited voter registration exercise on October 2, 2023 but could not get registered., the long queues and crowded centers that have characterized the closing day of the registration at the laps of the 21-day exercise across the country means many potential voters could not be captured.
In a communique after the close of the exercise on October 2, 2023 the EC indicated that, “arrangements have been made to ensure that eligible citizens who are in the queue on or before 5:00 p.m. were to be given numbers and get registered on October 3, 2023.
“CARE” GHANA in response to this through a press release said the one day extention is highly inadequate considering the mayhem and the violence that disrupted the exercise at some centers coupled with faulty registration machines that slowed the pace of the registration process.
“It is important to state that, voter registration is a Constitutional right to all qualified citizens, therefore, inhibiting registration eligible citizens is a breach of their Constitutional right. Article 42 of the 1992 Constitution speaks explicitly against actions that purport to disenfranchise an eligible voter from being registered,” the statement reads in part.
“CARE” GHANA is urging the EC to welcome their appeal to extend the limited voter registration for ten more days to ensure that majority of Ghanaians are registered so they can exercise their civic right.
Read below the full statement
PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
EXTEND VOTER REGISTRATION EXERCISE BY TEN DAYS TO CAPTURE YET TO BE REGISTERED APPLICANTS
The attention of Care for Free and Fair Elections Ghana (“CARE” GHANA) has been drawn to an EC internal memo in circulation on social media purporting to extend the voters registration exercise that officially ended yesterday Monday October 2nd, 2023 by one day.
This document instructs EC regional directors to inform all district registration officers to give numbers to applicants who may be in the queue before 5pm but may not be registered before the close of registration on October 2nd 2023 to appear the next day 3rd October, 2023 to be registered.
We find the decision to extend the registration exercise by just one day inadequate considering the violence that disrupted the exercise at some centers and faulty registration equipment that slowed down the registration at various centers.
This culminating with limited registration centers and the difficulty in accessing EC district offices for registration have left lots of prospective applicants unregistered. Consequently, one day cannot be considered sufficient to cover the back log.
We will like to draw the commission’s attention to the fact that, the constitution entitles every eligible voter a registration and also mandates the commission to expand the voter role.
It is important to state that, voter registration is a constitutional right to all qualified citizens, therefore, inhibiting registration to eligible citizens is a breach of their constitutional right. Article 42 of the 1992 constitution speaks explicitly against actions that purport to disenfranchise an eligible voter from being registered.
Reports from the media and “CARE” GHANA’s registration monitors evidently confirms that majority of the youth are yet to be captured therefore, one day is inadequate to cover all.
We urge the EC to extend registration for ten days to ensure that majority of the youth are registered.
Thank you
Signed
David Kumi Addo
Executive Director (“CARE” GHANA)
Tel: 0559026124/0273009907
By Lawrence Odoom