Tag: Electoral Commission

Visually impaired voters have unanimously advocated for the sanctity of the voting processes to ensure true secrecy of the ballot during voting at the upcoming District level Elections and Referendum as well as future exercises.

They alleged that lack of secrecy of the voting process defeats the tenets of the exercise and an abuse of the rights of the visually impaired and other people with physical disability.

Lack of secrecy in voting an abuse of our rights Visually impaired

Mr Christian Dzisianu, Chairman, Ghana Blind Union Association said the secrecy of the ballot is undermined when one’s choice of voting becomes a public matter.

The group raised these concerns at a sensitisation workshop in Ho.

The workshop, which is part of a public education strategy of the Electoral Commission to ensure the dissemination of adequate knowledge and full participation of members in the incoming elections on December 17, this year.

It was under the theme, enhancing the participation of virtually impaired voters in the 2019 District Assembly/Unit Committee Election and Referendum.

Mr Eric Dzakpasu, Deputy Volta Regional Director of EC said the workshop is to collate their views and make it part of the EC’s working principles and adhered to in future elections.

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He said EC would liaise with the executives of their Associations to collate numbers across the country and build the tactile ballot jackets according to their demands.

The group was taking through the use of ‘tactile ballot jacket’ as would be applicable on voting day on December 17.

Source: Ghananewsagency.org

Women aspirants who filed to contest in the upcoming district level election in the Ashanti Region by the close of nomination, constitutes less than six percent of the total number of candidates.

Out of the total of 4,197 candidates who filed to contest in the region, only 235 are women, representing six per cent with 901 out of 8,821, representing 10 per cent of the candidates who successfully filed their nominations are women, a situation described as worrying.

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Benjamin Bano-Bioh, the Ashanti Regional Director of the Electoral Commission (EC), said the low women participation situation was a bit better in the unit committee contest, where 10 percent of the candidates were women.

He expressed the sentiment when he was addressing representatives of women groups and persons with disability (PWDs) at a forum on the impending district level elections and referendum scheduled for December 17, this year, the forum formed part of series of engagements between the EC and identifiable groups ahead of the elections and referendum.

The objective is to update the citizenry on the electoral processes, the local governance system and also solicit for their concerns to ensure a smooth, peaceful and successful organisation of the December elections and referendum.

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Mr. Bano-Bioh noted that it was important that women rise up and play active part in all democratic processes to scale up their participation in democratic governance and rule of law, the EC recognised the important role of women in national cohesion, growth, development, involvement in the electoral processes was critical to a successful and peaceful election and referendum.

“Women can play equally important roles in the electoral processes as observers and election officials, I challenge them to take up such roles, going forward, the commission respect the rights of every voter especially those in the minority and we pledge the commitment, dedication and determination of the commission to ensure their concerns are addressed,” he assured.

Source: www.ghananewsagency.org

Seventeen aspirants have picked nomination forms to contest for the District Assembly and Unit Committee elections 2019 at the Anyaa East electoral area in the Ga-Central Municipality.

Out of this number, four aspirants will contest for the District Assembly and 13 for the Unit Committee elections.

However, as at Thursday, October 10 at 1020 hours, eleven of them had successfully filed their nominations to contest the elections slated for December 17 this year.

Mr Samuel Okoe, the Returning Officer, Special Duty for the Anyaa East Electoral Area confirmed to the Ghana News Agency.

He said three of them had filed for the District Assembly position, while the other eight would be vying for a place in the Unit Committee.

On gender diversity, he said only one female had filed for nomination to contest for the District Assembly position in the upcoming District elections.

Mr Okoe said he encountered many challenges with regards to the filling of the forms adding that, some aspirants mixed small letters with capital while others used small letters instead of capital letters.

Some forms have also not been endorsed.

He advised aspirants to file their forms early in order to have errors corrected before the deadline.

Aspirants for the Assembly include;, Vitoria Korang, Thompson Atitso, William Kabanda and Ekow Gym, while Ebenezer Sackey Baffle, Mustapha Hadji Osman, Salisu Amadu, Jonathan Kwasi Otoo, Eric Opoku, Benjamin Adjetey, Paul Sowah Oko, Charles Nchamba, Godwin Kumahor, Kingsford Otchere, Christian Sarpong, Allotey- Annan Terrence McDonnell, William Kabanda.

Nomination ends on Friday October 11, 2019 at 1700 hours at all electoral areas.

Source: ghananewsagency.org

The Coalition of Election Observers (CODEO) has raised concerns over the proposal by the electoral commission to cut down voting hours.

The commission considering reducing the voting time from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m., instead of the 7 a.m. to 5 p.m.

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The move is to allow for counting of ballots and collation of results before night falls and to facilitate the early declaration of election results, the EC chair noted at a conference in Accra.

Speaking to Morning Starr Wednesday, programs coordinator for CODEO Paul Abrampah said the move must be carefully thought true.

“We have come to a point where we want to ensure results realized after elections are acceptable by all. If we change the closing time of elections from 5pm to 4pm, what happens to electoral areas that have challenges and start voting later than any other area because rivers must be crossed to those places and the like.”

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Reacting to the concerns, spokesperson for the commission, Sylvia Annor said they will engage all stakeholders before a decision is taken on the matter.

“The voting period will be discussed with stakeholders. The late closure affects ultimately the voting results especially that of Presidential elections. The timing is at the preliminary stage of discussion. We are not there yet. On polling days, there are isolated cases of delays even in developed nations. We are working around the clock to make sure all anomalies are rectified”.

Source: starrfm.com.gh