Rationale for exhibiting provisional voters register is to correct errors ahead of Dec. 7 polls – EC

The Electoral Commission (EC) has responded to the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) regarding their concerns about the current state of the provisional voters’ register.

According to the EC, the purpose of exhibiting the register is to identify and correct any errors before finalising it for the December 7 elections.

In a statement posted on its X (formerly Twitter) platform, the EC explained: “The rationale for exhibiting the provisional voters register is to correct errors and omissions. It’s only after all identified issues are corrected that the final register is printed for the elections. This has been the practice since 1992.”

The EC’s response comes after the NDC called for a forensic audit or parliamentary investigation into the voter register.

Dr. Edward Omane-Boamah, Director of Elections and IT for the NDC, argued on Wednesday, 28 August 2024, that without such measures, the register remains “incurably defective.”

He accused the EC of deliberately delaying the release of the register to the party ahead of the exhibition exercise.

“The Electoral Commission of Ghana refused to release the voters’ register to the NDC on time ahead of the exhibition exercise,” he stated, further alleging that: “It’s obvious the register has deliberately been tampered with!”

The EC began the exhibition of the provisional voters’ register on Thursday, 22 August 2024, allowing the electorate to verify and correct their details.

Despite the NDC’s demand for earlier access, the EC provided the full register to the parties just a day before the exercise began, along with daily updates throughout the voter registration process and its subsequent mop-up.

The exercise concluded on Tuesday, 27 August 2024 with a notably low turnout.

Source:classfmonline.com