The Electoral Commission (EC) says it could use the current voters’ register for the December 2020 elections, if the coronavirus pandemic persists.
According to the Director of General Electoral Services at EC, Dr Serebour Quaicoe, this would require a cleaning of the register which would include a validation exercise and a limited registration exercise for new voters.
“We are taking all the precautions we have to take, so if in two months it (coronavirus) fails (to subside) we may need to use the register but if you don’t go for validation it means your name could be deleted.
“…and if we are talking of the validation, it means people will still have to come in and that would mean human contact will still be there,” he told Samson Lardi Anyenini on Newsfile, Saturday.
Dr Quaicoe, however, added that if the coronavirus, after two months is eliminated from the society, the EC is confident it can compile the new voters’ register before the December 2020 elections.
He stated that the EC already has in place Personal Protective Equipment and other needed items for the new voters’ register compilation in the next two months.
Dr Quaicoe said all plans and researches are currently being done in consultation with health professionals.
He explained that the Commission has the best interest of the citizens at heart and would not make decisions that will mar the health of Ghanaians.
“We would not make a decision when they (health professionals) have not advised us to do so. We want everybody to know that it is not that we are insensitive to the plight of the people. Personally, I would not be comfortable if any of my people get infected, so we are taking all the precautions we have to take,” he added.