The Electoral Commission (EC) will today, Monday, December 2, conduct the Special Voting exercise across 14 regions of Ghana, excluding the Eastern and Western Regions.
This exercise is a vital component of the electoral process, designed to allow security personnel, media practitioners, and election officials, who will be on duty during the December 7 general elections, to cast their votes in advance.
Approximately 131,478 voters, representing 0.007 percent of the total registered electorate of 18,741,159, are expected to participate in this Special Voting exercise.
The exclusion of the Eastern and Western Regions is due to the EC’s decision to recall and reprint ballot papers for those areas following a reported breach of security seals.
To maintain the integrity and transparency of the election process, the Special Voting in these two regions has been rescheduled for Thursday, December 5.
Speaking ahead of the exercise, EC Chairperson Jean Mensa assured the public of a smooth and credible voting process in the 14 regions.
She reiterated the Commission’s dedication to addressing any concerns raised and safeguarding the credibility of the elections.
The EC has urged all eligible voters partaking in the Special Voting to adhere to the guidelines, which include presenting valid identification to polling officials.
The exercise is scheduled to take place between 7 a.m. and 5 p.m. at designated polling centers in the participating regions.
Votes cast during the Special Voting will not be counted on the same day. Instead, they will be tallied on December 7 at the Constituency Collation Centres and included in the overall results from the main election.
The Returning Officer at each Constituency Collation Centre will separately document these results on both the Presidential and Parliamentary Election Results Collation Forms before integrating them into the final counts from all polling stations.
To ensure a peaceful and secure process, the National Election Security Taskforce has heightened security measures and will oversee operations at polling stations.
Political parties have also deployed their agents to monitor the exercise, ensuring fairness, while observers from various organizations are expected to be present to enhance transparency.
The EC has appealed for calm and cooperation from all stakeholders, emphasizing that these measures are part of efforts to deliver a free, fair, and credible election.
Meanwhile, the Chairperson of Ghana’s Electoral Commission (EC), Madam Jean Mensa, earlier has postponed the Special voting exercise for the Eastern and Western Regions as a result of ballot papers leakage.
Consequently, the EC has decided to reprint ballot papers for the Eastern and Western Regions following the discovery of a defaced ballot paper leak.
Addressing the media after a meeting with political parties, she emphasized the EC’s commitment to safeguarding the integrity of the upcoming elections and detailed the steps taken to address the issue.
The EC was informed by National Security which raised concerns about the security of the election process. She emphasized;
“I’d like to repeat that it was a one single defaced paper for the presidential election in the Eastern Region had been taken out of the printing house. The printing was undertaken by Checkpoint Limited.”
Ms. Jean Mensa Chairperson of Ghana’s Electoral Commission (EC)
She added that the printing process had been under the supervision of several key agencies, including the National Investigation Bureau (NIB), National Security, the police, and representatives of political parties and the Electoral Commission
To maintain public confidence in the electoral process, the EC, in consultation with political parties, decided;
“The commission took the decision that, in order to ensure and guarantee the integrity of the election in the Eastern Region, the ballot papers for the Eastern Region should be recalled, and new ballot papers printed for the region.”
Ms. Jean Mensa Chairperson of Ghana’s Electoral Commission (EC)
Furthermore, the EC resolved to reprint ballot papers for the Western Region as a precautionary measure because the same printing house had been responsible for their production.
New Security Features and Revised Serial Numbers
“In order to ensure the integrity of the ballot paper, the commission will introduce new security features onto ballots that will be printed for the Eastern Region and the Western Region. In addition to that, the serial numbers for those ballots for the two regions would be revised.
This is to ensure that there would be a marked difference between what has already gone and what will be printed starting this evening.”
Ms. Jean Mensa Chairperson of Ghana’s Electoral Commission (EC)
The discovery and subsequent reprinting process have necessitated changes to the special voting schedule for the Eastern and Western Regions.
“in light of the above, the special voting for the Eastern and Western Regions will not take place tomorrow Monday, the 2nd of December. The special voting for the two regions will now take place on Thursday, the 5th of December.”
Ms. Jean Mensa Chairperson of Ghana’s Electoral Commission (EC)
The EC and all participating political parties are united in their call for an immediate investigation into the leak.
This collective stance underscores the importance of transparency and accountability in the electoral process.
The leak of a single defaced ballot paper has prompted swift and decisive action from Ghana’s Electoral Commission.
Through collaboration with political parties and security agencies, the EC has demonstrated its commitment to ensuring the integrity of the electoral process.
With the introduction of enhanced security measures and a revised voting schedule, the Commission aims to restore public confidence as the country approaches the critical election period.
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