A temporary Electoral Commission (EC) official, Gerti Justice, was arrested on Monday, December 2, 2024, during the special voting exercise in Bimbilla, Northern region.
His arrest was prompted by concerns from National Democratic Congress (NDC) agents, who alleged that Justice took a picture of his ballot paper.
According to reports, Justice admitted to the offence during police interrogation.
A consensus was reached to remove his name from the list of officials on duty, and he was subsequently released.
However, the NDC opposed his release, demanding that he face the full force of the law.
On the day, an officer of the Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS) was arrested in the Walewale constituency of the North East Region for allegedly taking a picture of his ballot paper during the special voting exercise.
Reports indicate that the officer, whose name has been withheld, attempted to photograph his ballot paper after casting his vote for the presidential election.
This drew the attention of party agents who called for his immediate arrest.
These incidents have raised concerns about the integrity of the electoral process.
Meanwhile, the Electoral Commission (EC) has issued a strong warning to the public against photographing ballot papers.
In a brief communiqué to media houses, the EC stated, “Every ballot paper is unique and has a unique serial number. People who take photos of their ballots and share them risk being easily identified. The serial number can help investigators trace the said ballot paper to the specific polling station”.
“As we use thumbprints to vote and all voters’ biometric data is with the EC, investigators can easily narrow it down to the voter. Please, voters, don’t break the law thinking you can’t be found out!”.