The chairperson of the Electoral Commission, Jean Mensa, has assured Ghanaians that the electoral body will not prepare a new voters’ register for the 2024 general elections.
Briefing Parliament on Tuesday 28 February, Mensa said the Electoral Commission is only seeking to update the current voters’ register.
“I will like to assure this House that the Commission does not intend to prepare a new register. What we are doing through the continuous registration is to simply update the register by bringing on board persons who are 18 years of age.”
Ghana Card
Meanwhile, Mensa has also assured Ghanaians that the Ghana Card will not be used to vote in the 2024 elections.
She said the Ghana Card is only a requirement to register as a voter and not meant for voting.
Mensa, however, stated that making the Ghana Card the sole document for voter registration will enhance the credibility of Ghana’s electoral register.
She said it will also prevent minors and foreigners from getting onto the electoral register to vote.
The EC chair said, “The use of only Ghana Card will ensure and guarantee the credibility of the register and elections, prevent enrolment of minors, prevent foreigners from voting, eliminate the guarantor system which is prone to abuse.”
“Mr Speaker, I wish to emphasise that the Ghana Card will not be used to vote in the 2024 elections. The Ghana Card is only a requirement to register as a voter,” the EC chair said.
She added, “Once you present your Ghana Card and successfully register as a voter, you will be issued with a voter identification card which bears the code of your region, district, electoral area and the name of your polling station; the Ghana Card does not have these features and, therefore, will not be used to vote in the 2024 general elections.”
“We do not intend to disenfranchise persons who qualify to vote. It is in our interest to register them. It is will be an antithesis to deny any Ghanaian the right to vote.”
Mensa added, “However, we equally have the responsibility to ensure that only qualified Ghanaians are found in the voters’ register. We owe this responsibility to Ghanaians and we will work to uphold that.”
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