Ghanaians will on November 7, 2016, go to the polls to elect a President and candidates to represent them in Parliament.
In the run up the elections, the Electoral Commission had issued a road-map to ensure a successful electioneering process.
As part of this, the Commission recently held an engagement with the media to inform them about the processes so far.
One of the vital processes towards the election is the registration of persons who have reached the voting age of 18 as well as first time voters.
Below are 10 things you need to know about the limited voter registration exercise which starts from April 28 to May 8, 2016.
- A polling station is a demarcated security zone. Only authorised personnel are allowed in there
- The voters’ register/electoral list is a roll of people eligible under the law to vote in an election
- A person is eligible to register as a voter if he/she is;
- a Ghanaian
- 18 years of age or above
- of sound mind
- a resident, or an ordinary resident of the electoral area in which he seeks to register
- not prohibited by any law in force from registering.
- A prospective voter is required to provide evidence of identity in any of the following forms:
- Passport
- Driver’s licence
- National Identification Card
- 2 guarantors (must be a relation; parents, guardians; spouses; siblings etc)
- The forth coming limited registration exercise will be held on electoral area basis. Two (2) electoral areas may be merged save where electoral areas are large in land size or in population.
- Each electoral area is manned by a team of six (6) officials:
- Registration Officer with a Assistant Registration Officer: they capture the applicant’s biographic data under “FORM 1A”
- 2 Data Entry Clerks: they capture the applicant’s biometric data under “FORM 1C”
- Registration Assistant: laminates ID Cards issued to applicants
- Registration Technician responsible for the functioning of the registration kits
- Each District will have three (3) Registration Supervisors who will supervise the registration process in the District
- Who has access to the Registration Center?
- Anyone applying to become a voter
- An official of the Electoral Commission
- Anyone with a complaint or other documents to submit to the registration officer
- Anybody authorised by the Electoral Commission in writing. Authorisation comes by way of accreditation
Notice that unathorised persons found at registration centers may be dealt with.
- The Registration Officer is clothed with power to evict unathorised, or disruptive persons from the centre. Such persons may be arrested without warrant.
- Face Only Registered Voters: These are persons whose finger prints could not be captured for one reason or the other. Such persons may be verified on voting day only by their photographs.
–
By: Sixtus Dong Ullo /citifmonline.com /Ghana