The Electoral Commission (EC) has launched inquiries into approximately 12,000 challenge cases logged during the recently concluded limited voter registration drive.
Dr. Serebour Quaicoe, the Director of Electoral Services at the EC, stated that the committee’s task is to determine the eligibility of these individuals for inclusion on the electoral roll.
As per the provisional figures provided by Dr. Quaicoe, the Commission has surpassed its goal of registering 623,000 first-time voters, reaching a total of 747,715 by the end of the 22nd day.
In an interview on JoyNews, Dr. Quaicoe mentioned, “Our target was 623,000, so we’ve surpassed that by approximately 100,000.”
When asked about the Commission’s reaction to exceeding its target, he emphasized that the focus is on the quality of the registrations rather than just meeting numbers.
He further explained, “Political parties are raising concerns about the registration of minors and foreigners, indicating that there’s a need to clean up the register.”
Regarding the challenge cases, Dr. Quaicoe noted, “We currently have around 12,000 cases… they were challenged during registration due to doubts about their age, citizenship, or residency in claimed districts.”
He added, “The adjudication process has begun, and we anticipate completion by next week. Interestingly, the political parties themselves, being part of the process, have the authority to vote on disqualifications.”
Meanwhile, the EC has garnered support from political parties to propose legislation in Parliament, establishing the Ghana Card as the sole document for verifying citizenship during voter registration.
This move aims to address issues like underage registration and foreign nationals attempting to register, a stance notably favored by the NPP.