The Electoral Commission (EC) has admitted to a significant error in compiling the provisional voters’ register for the 2024 elections, acknowledging that a technical glitch led to the inclusion of incorrect data.
During a press briefing on Monday, September 2, Dr. Bossman Asare, the Deputy Chairman of the EC in charge of Corporate Services, addressed the issue, explaining the root cause and the steps taken to rectify it.
Dr. Asare revealed that the provisional voter register shared with political parties included both a “transfers voters list” and an “absent voters list” for each polling station. The transfers list was meant to capture voters who had been moved from one polling station to another, while the absent voters list accounted for those who had either transferred their votes or were involved in special voting.
However, the EC encountered a technical issue during the preparation of the 2024 exhibition, which mistakenly incorporated all transfers made since 2020. This error resulted in a higher-than-expected number of voters being classified as transferred or absent, raising concerns among stakeholders about the accuracy of the register.
Dr. Asare assured the public that the EC has corrected this anomaly and will provide the amended transfer and absent voters lists to the political parties.
“The final voters’ register for the 2024 elections will be both robust and credible,” he stated, emphasizing the Commission’s commitment to delivering a transparent electoral process.
This clarification comes in the wake of allegations from the National Democratic Congress (NDC) in the Ajumako-Enyan-Esiam constituency of the Central Region. The NDC accused the EC of inflating the voters’ register in collaboration with the New Patriotic Party (NPP), claiming that over 3,000 names were added without proper authorization. Galahad Alex Andoh, the NDC’s Communications Officer in the constituency, voiced his party’s determination to resist any attempts at electoral manipulation.
The EC’s mishap also prompted a response from former President John Dramani Mahama, the NDC’s presidential candidate, who called on the Commission to rectify any inaccuracies in the voter register to prevent confusion during the elections.
In light of these concerns, the EC has reaffirmed its commitment to making all necessary corrections to ensure the integrity of the final voters’ register.