Ghana’s Electoral Commission says voters in the 2016 elections can verify their eligibility both manually and biometrically to prevent the high numbers of people disenfranchised on voting day.
The chair of the commission, Madam Charlotte Osei addressing editors across the country in Accra said a few new modalities have been introduced for this year’s elections to make it credible, fair and transparent.
She reiterated the Electoral Commission’s readiness for the elections on December 7.
“There is the introduction of manual verification as well as biometric verification. The reason why the EC has decided to introduce manual verification is because of the instances of false rejection.
“In the unlikely event that someone gets to the polling station, presents their card, they’re found on the register, the barcode is signed, their details come up and you can see that they are validly registered voters however the biometric machine fails to validate them, the EC was of the view that people should not be disenfranchised but should be allowed to vote” she added.
In the 2012 elections some voters were disenfranchised because the biometric machines could not verify them although they were validly registered and are known to be persons who live in their vicinities with them. The key policy of ‘No Verification, No Vote’ was to be implemented to the letter in that election.
The new laws have reviewed the no verification, no vote policy which according to the EC chair has been in consultation with the various political parties.
She said “so in the law we put in a manual verification process, which was subject to agreement with all the political parties at the Inter-Party Advisory Committee (IPAC).”
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