The Electoral Commission (E.C.) has justified its decision to use the Ghana Card for general elections in 2024.
The election governing body believes the Ghana Card will help reduce the country’s underage voting problem.
Many think tanks, the opposition NDC and civil society organizations have raised concerns over the decision to demand the card, but the deputy chairperson of the E.C. in charge of corporate services, Dr. Eric Bossman Asare, insists there is no cause for alarm.
“In all this, when we start the registration, the party agents will be present. The mischief we’re trying to kill is having people fronting for people who are not 18 years and are not Ghanaians.”
“As we speak, the exercise hasn’t even begun, but when it begins, we’re asking people to go for your Ghana Card, go to your district E.C. office, and register,” he added.
“What the commission is saying is that our exercise, which is the continuous registration, has no deadline. So when we start the process, and you’re 18 and have your Ghana Card, go and register. We know you don’t turn 18 before you get your Ghana Card, so when you get your card and turn 18, you go and register,” Dr Bossman told Asaase Radio.
Meanwhile, Dr. Kwadwo Afari-Gyan, a former Chairperson of the Electoral Commission, has warned against the decision to use the Ghana Card as a sole form of identification for the 2024 elections.
“Ghanaian citizens don’t lose their citizenship if they are 18 years or older but do not have the Ghana Card. So, the moot question is: why make the Ghana Card the only means of identification for purposes of establishing eligibility to register to vote?” he queried.
In July, the E.C. placed before Parliament a draft C. I titled: Public Elections (Registration of Voters) Regulations, 2021, which is expected to regulate continuous voter registration.
Per the new C.I., the E.C. is seeking to make the Ghana Card the sole form of identification for eligible voters who want to get onto the electoral roll.
The C.I. has been referred to the Subsidiary Legislation Committee of Parliament. By convention, the committee is chaired by a member of the Minority group.