Special voting exercise - prospective voters still can't find their names in the register
Some prospective voters of the special voting exercise still cannot find their names in the two separate registers that was provided by the Electoral Commission (EC).
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The prospective voters had traveled from different regions to exercise their franchise but were disappointed when they were told by EC officials that their names were not included in the two registers.
At exactly 7.00 am voting began smoothly at the Regional Police Headquarters Polling Station where few voters were present to cast their votes.
A fresh ballot box was provided for the exercise while the remaining ballot papers from the December 1 special voting exercise were issued to the voters.
The Presiding Officer, Mr Yaw Amaniampong explained to Graphic Online that for anyone to be allowed to vote, his or her name should be in either of the two registers while his or her voters identity card should also bear the code of the centre.
“In effect, your polling station code should tally with the name in the register before you are allowed to vote”, he stated.
According to him, one of the registers has a total of 1,216 voters in the Sunyani East Constituency while the other register has a total of 1,015 registered voters.
Disappointment
As at 8.30 am, 10 people who came to the station and could not find their names had to go home disappointed, while 12 people were allowed to cast their votes.
“It is too bad, it is too bad” was how a security personnel who had travelled from Tema to Sunyani to exercise her franchise vented her frustration when she could not find her name.
According to the security personnel who pleaded anonymity, an attempt to vote in Tema could not materialize On December 1, because she was told her name could be on the special voters list in her original constituency in Sunyani.
Some of the frustrated people wondered why the EC failed to use the two registers on December 1, 2016 exercise stating that “The EC has confused all of us”.
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