The Electoral Commission (EC) has begun a special exercise to transfer votes of prospective candidates in the upcoming District Assembly and Unit Committee Elections in electoral areas and units other than where they registered as voters.
According to the EC the exercise is to enable the contestants to file their nominations and contest the elections in those Electoral Areas or Units.
In a press release signed by Amadu Sulley, Deputy Chairman in charge of operations at the EC, “ prospective candidate who wants to transfer his/her vote for the purpose of contesting the aforementioned elections must do so not later than Monday, October 13, 2014.”
As per the 1994 District Assembly Elections Act 473, “elections to a district assembly shall be held every four years, except that the elections shall be held at least six months away from parliamentary elections.”
[contextly_sidebar id=”HWG3Vp3iUgAYUJAxtWB81Uhb5WbvTPDe”]According to the press release, all applications for transfer of votes must be made in person to the District Officer of the Commission in the District where the applicant seeks to contest the election.
“Where the application relates to the District Assembly election, the applicant should have resided in the district for an aggregate period of not less than twelve (12) months in the four (4) years preceding the election. Where the application relates to the Unit Committee election the applicant must have lived in the particular Unit where he/she seeks to contest the election for an aggregate period of not less than twelve (12) months in the four (4) years preceding the election,” the release stated.
The release further warns contestants that, once the transfer of vote is effected, it therefore becomes permanent and shall remain the new polling station of the applicant.
Meanwhile, government has has released an amount of GHC55,455,377.83 to the Electoral Commission (EC) for the conduct of the 2014 District Assembly Elections.
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By: Godwin Allotey Akweiteh/citifmonline.com/Ghana