The Institute for Democratic Governance (IDEG), a research and advocacy organisation, has urged the Electoral Commission (EC) to continue to address the challenges and concerns of political parties and the public regarding the limited voter registration exercise.
That, IDEG, believes would help to maintain the integrity of the voter register for the December 7 polls.
IDEG, in a statement titled “Upholding Peaceful and Credible Voter Registration: A Collective Responsibility”, signed by its Senior Research Fellow, Kwesi Jonah, said a smooth and peaceful voter registration exercise was key to credible elections.
For him, confrontation and unresolved disputes stemming from voter registration had over the years sowed seeds of election-related violence; hence, “it is crucial to prevent violence at all voter registration locations”.
He said voter registration was a constitutional right and a first step to becoming a voter; as a result, “the limited voter registration exercise constitutes one of the major activities on the 2024 election calendar released by the Electoral Commission of Ghana”.
Limited voter registration
The limited voter registration exercise was started across the country on May 7, 2024, with a target to register 623,000 eligible persons onto the electoral register.
The 21-day exercise, which is meant for persons who have turned 18 and others who have not previously registered to vote, is expected to be carried out in 1,053 registration centres, made up of 268 district offices of the EC and 785 additional centres in hard-to-reach areas agreed on with political parties.
The limited voter registration exercise is expected to end on Monday, May 27, this year. Mr Jonah, who is also the Head of Advocacy and Institutional Relations at IDEG, said IDEG, with a mission to consolidate democracy and good governance in Ghana, mobilised and deployed volunteers as voter educators and observers in all 16 regions of the country to monitor the limited voter registration exercise.
Mr. Jonah noted that the initial feedback and monitoring of media reports on the exercise from the Elections Situation Room highlighted a few challenges, including cases of equipment breakdown and network failure causing delays in registering voters in some parts of the country; isolated instances of confrontation between political parties and, in some cases, with security personnel, as well as the exploitation of some young voters to register illegally.
He has, therefore, urged all stakeholders, including first-time voters, not to allow themselves to be exploited by politicians and their associates to engage in illegal or violent activities.
Similarly, Mr Jonah also urged parents and guardians to educate their children and wards about the registration process and related electoral offences.
“Politicians and their associates should refrain from engaging minors and first-time voters in illegal registration,” he said, encouraging the media to maintain their role as impartial sources of information, devoid of fake news and disinformation that could undermine the credibility of the entire exercise.
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