The Electoral Commission (EC) has refuted allegations of attempting to disenfranchise voters during the ongoing limited voter registration exercise.
The opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) had accused the EC of deliberately sending faulty registration machines to their strongholds, making it difficult for first-time voters to register, and claimed collusion between the EC and the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) to disenfranchise eligible voters.
In response, the EC dismissed these accusations, emphasizing that the issue of malfunctioning devices affected all 16 regions, except for Savannah.
EC Chairperson, Jean Mensa, clarified that while there have been challenges, they have been promptly addressed, and the registration process is proceeding smoothly.
“As a Commission, we are working tirelessly to ensure that every eligible voter can register without any hindrance. Allegations of voter disenfranchisement are unfounded. We take pride in maintaining a voter register that adheres to international best practices” she stated.
Jean Mensa further explained that, they did not err in the decision to use the 268 district offices as registration centers.
“The Commission conducted a comprehensive registration exercise in over 33,000 polling stations in 2020. It is important to note that the current exercise is an update of the register” she added.
The EC boss stressed that, limiting registration to its district offices will not disenfranchise voters.
Madam Mensa maintained that, the Commission has plans for continuous registration at the district offices and intends to conduct mop-up exercises in hard-to-reach areas before the 2024 elections.
“It is crucial to understand that this won’t be the only registration exercise before the 2024 elections,” the she assured.