EC reverses decision to abandon indelible ink

The Deputy Electoral Commissioner in charge of Corporate Services, Dr. Eric Asare Bossman, has disclosed that, after numerous complaints from stakeholders and the general public, it has reversed its decision to abandon the use of indelible ink in the 2024 polls.

Speaking during the launch of the Multimedia Group’s 2024 Election Coverage, Dr. Bossman said the decision was necessary to build trust and consensus ahead of the December polls.

“After listening to the discussions, we have heard the concerns of the general public, we have heard the parliamentarians, we have heard the concerns of the NPP and the NDC and civil society members so we have concluded that if by using the ink people will have more trust in the process, why not ?” he said.

During the first sitting in Parliament on February 6, 2024, minority and majority leaders declared that they would not countenance the elimination of indelible ink from the electoral process in the upcoming polls.

“The truth of the matter is that the use of indelible ink in our electoral process does not harm the conduct of free and fair elections in Ghana. In fact, indelible ink adds another layer to the integrity of elections by ensuring that voters are visibly, transparently, and physically verified in addition to biometric verification”, Ato Forson said.

Majority Leader Osei Kyei Mensah Bonsu alluded to the fact that biometric technology makes it difficult to identify if a person has voted more than one time.

“The issue of indelible ink, the question is when we were not doing biometric we were basically using your face, your card. We look at your face and we say this picture looks like you. The biometric technology makes it difficult for a person who has been verified and cast their vote to come a second time. So, there is no need for indelible ink. Once you have been verified, it goes into the system and you cannot come back a second time,” Majority added.