Member of Parliament for Korle Klottey, Dr. Zanetor Agyeman-Rawlings has expressed concerns about the ongoing limited voter registration exercise by the Electoral Commission (EC), saying it is draining MPs financially.
She also described the process as chaotic due to the large number of people being served at the district offices.
Dr. Agyeman-Rawlings made the remarks during a visit to the EC head office with former President John Mahama to assess the exercise.
“It’s a bit chaotic, because we have so many districts here, unfortunately, some machines keep going offline, making the process drag off a bit,” she said.
Dr. Agyeman-Rawlings also noted that, the current system is financially draining for MPs, who are providing transportation and other support to constituents who need to register.
“Lots of people, who are here, live from hand to mouth. Any moment they sit here is money potentially they can make in a day. We need to make the process a little smoother. I’m not quite sure what the EC is going to do about this situation. We have too many districts and one location, which is making it very stressful for lots of those who are here” she bemoaned.
Asked directly by if the exercise was having a financial toll on MPs, she said, “It’s the case across the board and it’s one of the reasons why we were not in favour of the limited registration exercise being done in this form.”
Dr. Agyeman-Rawlings urged the EC to decentralize the registration exercise and provide more resources to ensure a smooth and efficient process.
The EC on Tuesday began the voter registration exercise at its district offices across the country to enable individuals who have attained the age of 18 to acquire voter identity cards for the upcoming polls.