Voter Registration: Decentralize Registration Centres For Easy Access – Mahama to EC
Flagbearer of the opposition National Democratic Congress(NDC), John Dramani Mahama, has appealed to the Electoral Commission (EC) to decentralize the upcoming limited voter registration exercise.
The former president said extending the registration centres to all electoral areas would allow for easy access and reduce the burden of travelling long distances to register to vote in the 2024 elections.
In August 2023, the chairperson of the Electoral Commission (EC), Jean Adukwei Mensa, announced that the limited voter registration exercise would take place at the 268 District Offices of the Commission and hoping to register 1,350,000 new voters by the close of the exercise scheduled for Tuesday, September 12 to Monday, October 2, 2023.
However, many people have raised concerns about the location, which will require eligible Ghanaians to move from their homes to district offices, which could be several kilometres away, a disincentive to participate in the exercise.
Former President Mahama has therefore called on the EC to fix this problem.
In a Facebook Live presentation, former President Mahama said: “It is also our recommendation that in line with Regulation 2(2b) of CI 91, as amended by CI 126, the Commission listens to calls for the extension of the exercise to take place in the electoral areas and not be limited to the district offices of the Commission. This will curb many inconveniences, including transportation, lack of money to move from distant locations, and access”.
Former President Mahama also made reference to a letter from the NDC demanding some information about the exercise.
“As has been requested in a formal letter to the Commission by the General Secretary of the NDC, we want to know when the names and pictures of the Registration Supervisors, Registration Officers, Registration Assistants, and other officials for the exercises will be published at the district level, as stipulated by the EC regulations”.
“We have also requested information on the exact number and distribution of workstations, registration kits, and other logistics”.
He also urged Ghanaians to participate fully in the limited registration exercise.
“At this point, let me encourage my comrades in the NDC to put aside every other thing or activity and let’s give our maximum attention and focus to the upcoming exercise. Let me urge all my fellow citizens, especially the youth, to take this exercise seriously. It is your opportunity to hold your leaders accountable. It is about your rights; it is about your future! It is about our dear nation, Ghana,” he stressed.