NCCE educates voters against rejected ballots

Five other regions also recorded rejected ballots higher than the national average. They were Upper East, 4.17 per cent; Northern, 3.57 per cent; Central, 3.24 per cent; Western, 3.18 per cent, and Brong Ahafo, 2.6 per cent.

The electorate in the remaining four regions performed better in terms of proper voting, with their regions recording rejected ballots below the national average.

The Greater Accra Region recorded the least number of rejected ballots of 1.06 per cent, followed by Ashanti, 1.65 per cent; Volta, 2.12 per cent, and Eastern, 2.28 per cent.

Rejected ballots may be very crucial in determining the outcome of the December 7 elections, considering the fact that the number of rejected ballots in the 2008 presidential election was greater than the votes obtained by the third-placed candidate in that election.

The third-placed candidate, Dr Papa Kwesi Nduom, who contested on the ticket of the Convention People’s Party (CPP), obtained 1.34 per cent of the valid votes cast, far less than the 2.37 per cent rejected ballots.

Given the fact that the two front runners in the 2008 elections —  Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and Professor John Evans Atta Mills of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) — could have won the first round ‘one touch’ with the benefit of the rejected ballots in that elections, the issue should be a source of major concern for the presidential candidates in Election 2012.

Mrs Akumanyi said the NCCE was carrying out much education on the proper way of voting to help minimise the number of rejected ballots.

Making reference to provisions in the Public Elections Regulation, 2012 (CI 75) in respect of rejected ballots, she advised voters to make sure that the ballot papers given to them on election day had the Electoral Commission (EC) stamp at the back.

She further advised them to thumbprint for only one candidate and also avoid using pens to write their (voters) names on the ballot papers, indicating that the ballot papers would be rejected if voters did something to the contrary.

Mrs Akumanyi observed that normally voters were so anxious when they were given the ballot papers and so in their haste to vote, they did not take their time and ended up doing things that compromised the integrity of their ballot papers.

She said in the event of one making a mistake on the ballot paper, one could go back to the electoral officer, with the spoiled ballot paper, for replacement.

But she was quick to add that it was better to do the right thing at the first instance because there might be shortage of ballot papers, although the EC had promised to provide an extra 10 per cent ballot papers required at every polling station.

Story by Kofi Yeboah

Writer’s Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.