Elections , coverage - A job for all

Perhaps, Graphic Communications Group adopted a similar posture when all its staff, willing to cover the elections were assigned duties which normally would have been covered by its journalists and photo journalists.

From the Managing Director, Mr Kenneth Ashigbe right down to the last level of the establishment, all were assigned reporting duties and other election related duties.

Mr Yaw Boadu Ayeboafo, General Managerr Newspapers reports from Afigya Sekyere West in the Ashanti Region that voting went on smoothly at all the eight electoral areas he visited in the early hours of the exercise.

The only challenge he said had to do with the verification machine which was subsequently fixed.

Eric Addotey Tawiah reports from the Mamprobi Premier, Polyclinic, and Methodist Primary 1 & 2 that at about 3:30 a.m., 400 hundred voters had already queued at Premier. About 100 and 300 electorates had, however queued at the Polyclinic and Methodist 1&2 respectively.

Voting commenced at the Polyclinic at about 7:10 a.m. while Premier and Methodist 1 & 2 had theirs starting at 8:00 and 7:15 respectively.

At the Black Child Polling Station at Taifa in Accra, Ama reports that as at 8:30 am, the polling station had not received its share of electoral materials. No security personnel were at post.

The electoral officers had all reported for duty and were waiting for the materials to arrive to enable them start work.

At the Fire possession polling station in the Korle Klottey Constituency in Accra, voting started at 7: 55am, reports Seth Adu. According to the EC officials at the polling station, the machines often froze, and the people were getting furious.

Samuel reports from a polling station near the Nungua Barrier in the Krowor Constituency that as of 9am, election materials had not been delivered and the anxious voters had started becoming inpatient.

Andoh Augustine reports from the Starlight Preparatory school polling station in the Ashaiman New Town constituency that the voting process started at 7:52am, and everything was going on at the time of his visit.

At the Ashaiman Lebanon zone 5 Alsersgate polling stations, number one  and two, 86 out of 561 voters and 117 out of 1090 had voted at that time.

At the St Micheal polling station in the Krowor constituency, Patrick Tweneboah reports that the electoral officers arrived a few minutes before 9am, and the queues were getting longer and longer.

Selina Quaye reports from the Okaikoi South Constituency that voting started at 7 am at some polling stations and the exercise was going on smoothl. y

Voting at the Fertiliser polling station in the Ledzorkuku constituency was characterised by confusion, reports Odeneho Emmanuel. The confusion followed the decision of the Electoral Commission to divide the polling station into two.

For that reason, there were two queues but some voters were not aware of that arrangement and so they joined any of the queues, only to realise at the last minute that the had to vote elsewhere.

The development certainly infuriated them

At the NIB polling station in the Cape Coast south Constituency, Francisca Appiah reports that as at 8:35am, 121 people out of the 621 registered voters had voted successfully.

From the Tefle post office polling station in the South Tong constituency, Kporha Ruskin reports that the voting process began smoothly but some party agents raised issues he did not specify.

Kofi Tweneboah reports from Abokobi that there were no ballot papers. “ I have gone round five polling stations in the area and there are no ballot papers”, he said.

Samuel Baiden reports that voting was delayed for more than one hour at the Oshie Filling Statione in the Weija Constituency in Accra.

The EC begun the process at 8:30 a.m. Representatives of the NDC, NPP, NDP, and DPat about 7:00 a.m.

Our correspondent at Sowutuom last stop reports of confusion at two polling stations in the area. As soon as electoral materials arrived after 9.a.m, many voters abandoned their queues and crowded around the EC officials, alleging that the ballot boxes contained some illegal materials.

At the Sege Constituency, 268 people had voted out of 274 registered voters. There was no queue ad electoral officials were sitting down, waiting for the remaining six voters to turn up and vote.