Nationwide Voters’ exhibition starts today

The Electoral Commission (EC) will exhibit the provisional voters’ register in more than 38,000 polling stations across the country from tomorrow, August, 20, to Tuesday, August 27, 2024.

The one-week exercise, which is among the major activities the Commission will undertake ahead of the 2024 General Election, will take place at all polling stations in all 268 districts nationwide from 0700 hours to 1800 hours.

The exhibition will offer voters, particularly those who registered in the just-ended mop-up registration exercise the opportunity to verify their details and identify their polling stations.

Voters who registered and voted in the 2020 General Election are also encouraged to verify their details in the register ahead of the December 7 polls.

The EC announced on Monday that voters who may not be able to visit the exhibition centres could dial *711*51# to verify their details on their phones at a fee of 0.50 pesewas.

The Commission encouraged all voters to visit the various exhibition centres with voter identification cards to facilitate the exhibition process.

Nonetheless, voters without their voter identification cards could visit the exhibition centres to verify their details but could not request for changes to be effected without their Voter I.D. cards.

Among the corrections that can be requested are the inclusion of omitted names; objection to names of unqualified voters on the register; removal of names of deceased voters from the register, and replacement of poor quality or damaged Voter ID Cards.

Other requests include a correction to the wrong spelling of names; a correction to wrong registration centre codes, and an amendment to other registration details such as age, and sex as a result of a clerical error.

The EC said it was allowed for registered voters to verify the voter details of a relation(s) or friend(s).

However, only the owner of the Voter ID Card can request changes to his/her details in the register.

To effect major changes or corrections during the exhibition of the voters register such as a complete change of the name of a voter or addition of new names, change of polling station code, change of photographs and inclusion of omitted names, the voter is required to go to the District Office of the Commission for a biometric authentication of the voter before the change is effected.

The EC has appointed District Registration Review Officers (District Court Magistrates) in all 268 Districts to receive the provisional voter registers and other lists and forms containing complaints and objections that would be raised during the Exhibition Exercise from the District Officers.

The District Registration Review Officers will then make a determination on each of the cases and endorse each page of the provisional voters’ register for authentication.

The Voters Register in its current state is provisional, and the exhibition exercise is meant to correct the register of all errors before it is finalised for the December 7 elections.