The Electoral Commission (EC) has clarified reports regarding the release of the revised 2024 Provisional Voters Register (PVR), following claims by the National Democratic Congress (NDC) that the register would be available within a week.
In a statement dated October 8 and signed by Samuel Tettey, Deputy Chairperson in charge of Operations, the EC denied making any such commitment.
The EC wrote: “For the records, the Chairperson of the EC indicated during the televised IPAC meeting that the Commission would provide the Political Parties with the revised PVR and upload it online within two (2) weeks or earlier.”
The NDC, after the Inter-Party Advisory Committee (IPAC) meeting held on Tuesday, October 1, issued a statement indicating that it had accepted the EC’s alleged promise to release the corrected or updated version of the 2024 Provisional Voters Register to political parties within one week.
The party is quoted to have stated: “The Functional Executive Committee of the NDC has deliberated and decided to accept the EC’s promise to release to political parties, the corrected/updated version of the 2024 Provisional Voters Register for scrutiny within one week.”
In its response, the commission clarified that its Chairperson, Jean Mensa, had actually informed political parties during the IPAC meeting that the Commission would provide the revised PVR and make it available online within two weeks or earlier.
“Nowhere in her statement did the Chairperson indicate that the revised PVR would be made available within a week,” the EC emphasized.
Meanwhile, the Chairperson of the Electoral Commission (EC), Jean Mensa, has reported that significant progress has been made in addressing the issues identified in the voter register.
She noted that while the register is still a work in progress and contains some minor inaccuracies, this is to be expected in any large-scale registration exercise.
The NDC’s examination of the register identified five key anomalies:
- Missing Names: The party discovered that the names of registered voters were missing from the list, potentially disenfranchising eligible voters.
- Misplaced on Lists: Qualified voters were incorrectly placed on the Exception List or the Multiple List, which could prevent them from voting on election day.
- Disqualified Individuals: Some individuals disqualified due to multiple registrations or successful challenges were still found on the Main Provisional Voters Register (PVR), raising questions about the accuracy of the register.
- Unauthorized Transfers: Voters were transferred from one polling station to another without their knowledge. Additionally, old transfers that should have been resolved were still appearing on the register.
- Polling Station Changes: Some voters were moved from one polling station to another without their consent, causing confusion and potential voter suppression.
The EC has admitted to errors in the transfer of votes.
