The Electoral Commission (EC) has disclosed that it is speedily working to restore some challenges dogging its Short Message Service (SMS) platform for the ongoing exhibition exercise.
In a press release issued by the Commission, it revealed being privy to the development as applicants complain of delays in accessing the mobile platform.
“The Electoral Commission has noted that some voters, in confirming their voter details using the 1422 SMS channel, are experiencing some delays. The engineers are working around the clock and should resolve the queue issues within an hour.
“We wish to advise all those using the channel to exercise patience and not resend their ID numbers to the platform”.
The EC further urged applicants to be patient adding that “stakeholders not to send their voter ID numbers multiple times as this will result in a longer queue and result in an additional airtime charge. Stakeholders who have accessed the platform will receive their results shortly”.
The platform was introduced to allow voters check the accurateness of their information by sending their card numbers to the Short Code 1422.
The Electoral Commission (EC) will, till September 25, exhibit the provisional voters register at all 33,367 centres.
The centres will be opened from 7 am to 6 pm each day to enable the voters to verify their details including the correct spelling of their names, age, sex and voting centres.
Jean Mensa, speaking at the “Let the Citizen Know” media briefing in Accra, urged prospective voters to participate fully in the exercise because it was an important aspect of the election process.
“It has been observed that over the years, turnout for the exercise had always been low. Prospective voters are hereby encouraged to check their details to ensure that all information captured are accurate in the register”.
The Commission, she noted, was under the Constitutional Instrument 91, mandated to compile a voters’ register and display same for public inspection and correction.
She said adequate materials had been dispatched nationwide and a total of 73,107 personnel, including exhibition officers and their deputies as well as other supporting officers had been recruited to undertake the exercise.
Jean Mensa however stated cases of minor corrections could be effected at the exhibition centres while prospective voters with major cases would be required to visit the district offices to get their cases resolved.
Similarly, a challenge of the registration of minors and non-nationals would require the petitioner to file a form and present evidence of the claim during the exhibition exercise.
“Cases of a damaged card, missing cards, the inclusion of omitted names, change of name, and age are considered major because one will have to present supporting details such as affidavits in the case of change of names to have it corrected”.
