EC restates commitment to credible voters register
The Electoral Commission (EC) has restated its commitment to audit the current electoral register so as to get a credible voters register for the 2016 election.
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The Commission disclosed that currently, there were over 600,000 names of suspected dead persons on the register and was depending on multiple sources to assist clean it up.
To do that, the Commission has written letters to institutions to feed it with details of their deceased employees.
It is also urging the public, including chiefs and family relations, to report to the commission the death of family members whose names are in the register.
The EC said they should support their reports with their death particulars and voter’s ID cards if available as part of measures to audit the electoral register.
The Deputy Chairperson of the commission in charge of Finance and Administration, Mrs Georgina Opoku Amankwa, disclosed this at a media workshop in Accra yesterday.
The day’s workshop was aimed at building the capacity of the media to report accurately on the 2016 elections, as well as apprise the practitioners of highlights of Constitutional Instrument (CIS 91) which regulated the registration of voters.
The workshop formed part of a EC-United State Agency for International Development (USAID) project dubbed “Enhancing Inclusiveness in Ghana’s Electoral Process”.
According to Mrs Opoku Amankwa “It is necessary for the public and all stakeholders to support in reporting the death of their relations because without that, it is impossible for the commission to take out any name of a deceased person.”
She said the EC would commence the exhibition of the voters register after it had completed the limited voter registration exercise scheduled for April 28, 2016 to May 8, 2016.
“After the limited registration exercise, the EC would exhibit both the provisional and current register at the same time for the public to verify their personal information and ensure their names are in the register,” she stated.
Do not re-register
Mrs Opoku urged members of the public who had misplaced their voters ID cards to refrain from re-registering, as multiple registration constituted a criminal offence.
However, she said arrangements had been made for such persons to vote after they had made sure their names were in the register during the exhibition of the register.
“ If a voter who has misplaced his or her ID card is still interested in possessing the card, then they would have to apply to the Commission for a new one with the inscription replaced card on it at their own cost,” she said.
She explained that the new card would be labelled replaced card to make it authentic, and that it would cost GHc5.00 for the replacement.
November 7
On whether or not the country will go to the polls on November 7, 2016, Mrs Opoku Amankwa confirmed it as the hopeful date for the 2016 presidential and parliamentary elections.
According to her, the EC had completed the necessary legal framework to pave the way for the elections on that date.
Currently, the amended Constitutional Instrument (C.I. 75) which regulates the elections is before Cabinet for consideration, she disclosed.
Mrs Opoku Amankwa, who is also in charge of the Greater Accra and the Eastern regions, said the EC would do everything possible to meet the deadline as required by the Constitution for the elections to go ahead without any hitch.
She said due to the crucial nature of election 2016, it had engaged the attention of everybody, including the international community, and as such the role of the media extended beyond its traditional role since its reportimg could make or break the nation.
She, therefore, urged the media to be circumspect in its reporting in order not to plunge the country into violence before, during and after the elections.
The deputy chairperson of the commission further said appropriate reporting formed one of the requirements the Commission had identified to safeguard the peace of the country before, during and after the election.
She assured the media of the EC’s cooperation and effective collaboration with all stakeholders for a successful and peaceful elections.
Role of media
In a presentation on the role of the media in the 2016 general election, the Deputy News Editor of the Ghana News Agency, Mr Francis Ameyibor, underscored the need for the media to build a strong relationship with the EC to facilitate effective collaboration during the 2016 general election.
He said collaboration with all stakeholders was necessary to ensure an incident-free election.
Mr Ameyibor appealed to the media to update themselves on the reviewed electoral laws to enhance their reporting and educate the public accordingly on the dos and don’ts of the election.
“The information we feed the public with has the ability to make or unmake the society before, during and after the election. Therefore, we must upgrade our knowledge and be circumspect in what we feed the public with by way of information,” he said.
Earlier in his welcome address, the Greater Accra Regional Director of the EC, Mr Kwame Amoah, said the EC had lined up a number of education and sensitisation programmes to build the capacity of the media, political parties, civil society organisations and all other stakeholders.
since everyone was required to make input into the governance of the country.
He urged the participants to take advantage of the forum to clear their minds of any doubts for the success of the elections.
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