In an unfortunate development, the Electoral Commission of Ghana(EC) has postponed the planned special voting exercise in the Eastern and Western regions due to a significant ballot security breach.
This announcement came during an emergency meeting of the Inter-Party Advisory Committee (IPAC) today, where the EC shared new details about the incident. The breach reportedly involves a stolen ballot paper from the Eastern and Western regions that was discovered in the possession of an unidentified individual.
As a result, the EC has decided to destroy all existing ballot papers for the two regions and commence reprinting at three different printing facilities.
The immediate consequence of this breach is the cancellation of special voting in the Eastern and Western regions, which was originally scheduled for tomorrow, Tuesday, December 2nd 2024.
Dr. Edward Omane Boamah, the NDC’s Director of IT and Elections, in a statement shortly after the emergency IPAC meeting, confirmed the development, asserting that the EC has postponed the exercise to Thursday to allow time for the reprinting and distribution of new ballots, ensuring the voting process’s integrity.
“Fresh Details From Today’s Emergency IPAC Meeting. No Special Voting in the Eastern and Western regions tomorrow. Following a major breach in ballot security, all ballot papers for Eastern & Western regions shall be destroyed. Sadly, no Special Voting in the 2 regions”.
Dr Edward Omane Boamah, NDC ‘s Director of IT and Elections
Tight-Lipped Security Agencies
Dr Omane Boamah further pointed out that while the EC has been transparent about the breach, state security agencies have remained silent, refusing to reveal the identity of the individuals involved or explain how the breach occurred.
He pointed out the disparity between the EC’s openness in this instance and its silence on the earlier theft of Biometric Voter Registration (BVR) kits.
To address the issue, Dr Omane Boamah noted that the EC has announced that three separate printing houses will handle the reprinting of the compromised ballot papers. This approach aims to enhance security and prevent further breaches.
He praised the Electoral Commission’s immediate response as essential for restoring public confidence in the electoral process, however, questioned how such a critical failure occurred in the first place.
The National Democratic Congress IT and Elections’ Director also raised concerns over the EC’s decision to use a single company, Checkpoint, to print ballots for both regions, with calls for a thorough review of the EC’s procurement and operational processes.
The incident has ignited intense debate among political actors especially members of the main opposition party and some election observers, raising concerns about potential voter disenfranchisement and the wider implications for the December 7 general elections.
The delay in special voting could disrupt election-day logistics and planning, especially for security personnel and other essential stakeholders who rely on this process to vote ahead of the main election day.
As the EC works to resolve this crisis, the broader issue of electoral integrity looms large. This breach underscores the vulnerabilities within Ghana’s electoral process and the pressing need for robust security measures at every stage of the election cycle.
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