The Electoral Commission (EC) has assured the public that the final voters’ register for the 2024 elections will be both robust and credible, following the correction of errors identified during the recent exhibition exercise.
Dr. Bossman Asare, the Deputy Chairman of the EC in charge of Corporate Services, provided this assurance during a press briefing on Monday, September 2.
Dr. Asare explained that the provisional voter register, which was prepared for the exhibition and shared with political parties, included a “transfers voters list” and an “absent voters list” for each polling station.
The transfers list comprises voters who have been transferred out of a particular polling station, while the absent voters list includes those who have transferred their votes and those participating in special voting.
However, during the preparation for the 2024 exhibition, a technical issue caused the inclusion of all transfers made since 2020, leading to a higher-than-expected number of absent and transferred voters. Dr. Asare emphasized that the EC has now corrected this anomaly and will distribute the amended transfer and absent voters lists to the political parties.
This clarification from the EC comes in response to allegations from the National Democratic Congress (NDC) in the Ajumako-Enyan-Esiam constituency of the Central Region.
The NDC accused the EC of unlawfully inflating the voters’ register in collaboration with the New Patriotic Party (NPP). According to Galahad Alex Andoh, the NDC’s Communications Officer in the constituency, over 3,000 names were allegedly added to the voters’ register without authorization.
Mr Andoh further stated that the NDC would resist any attempts by the EC to manipulate the upcoming elections and would take necessary actions to prevent electoral fraud. The EC, however, has stood by the integrity of the voter register, reiterating its commitment to delivering a credible and accurate final list.
The EC released the provisional voter register to political parties on August 19, following demands for timely access for review. Since then, the NDC has raised concerns about discrepancies in the document, including missing names and incorrect placements of qualified voters. The party has requested an emergency meeting with the EC to address these issues.
Former President John Dramani Mahama, the NDC’s presidential candidate, has also urged the EC to rectify any inaccuracies in the voter register to avoid confusion during the elections. The EC has responded by affirming that all necessary corrections will be made, ensuring that the final voter register reflects the true will of the electorate.