Source: tntnewspapergh.com

Ghana’s Electoral Commission (EC) as part of preparation towards the conduct of District and Unit Committees elections as well as 2024 general elections, has announced plans to undertake Limited voters’ registration from Tuesday,12the September to Monday,2th October,2023.

The Commission led by Mrs.Jean Mensah is targeting to register about 1.35 Million persons during the period. The Commission projects that 1,350,000 people might have attained 18 years since the last voters’ registration exercise in 2020.

The exercise is expected to take place across all the 268 District Offices of EC each day within the hours of 8:am and 5:pm including weekends.

It is against the backdrop, the Ashanti Regional Organizer for the Governing New Patriotic Party (NPP),Francis Adomako is proposing to the Commission to urgently consider to create more registration points at the various District Offices to ensure smooth registration exercise devoid of long queues or delay in the process.

Francois as he is affectionately called in the political space told The New Trust Newspaper Online that instead of one or two registration points, the EC could create about 4 points or centres to ensure fast or smooth exercise to encourage potential voters’ to participate in the exercise.

Francis Adomako

According to him, per EC’s projections averagely each District office is expected to register about 200 applicants daily and issues of technical and other challenges can’t be write- off hence his proposal to EC to consider creating more registration points or centres at all District Offices.

Adding that if the registration centres are not spacious enough,I” suggest that that the exercise is done outside the room to enable more registration points to be created to avoid congestion.
I’m also pleading with the security agencies to help tighten security since more prospective applicants will be trooping in day in day out”.

Mrs.Jean Mensa, the chairperson of the Electoral Commission during the announcement on Thursday, 17th August,2023 press briefing in Accra dubbed, ‘Let the Citizen Know” said“The voter’s registration exercise will afford Ghanaians who have attained the age of 18 years, since the last registration of 2020 and others who are more than 18 years, but for various reasons couldn’t register during the 2020 registration exercise to do so”

“The EC will embark on voters’ registration in all 268 district offices of the Commission. The exercise will be held from September 12 to October 2,” she disclosed.

Following this, some seven political parties in the country on Monday, August 21 expressed their displeasure about the decision.

They insisted that any decision to restrict the upcoming voter registration exercise to its district offices would not achieve its intended purpose(s).

But the Ashanti Regional NPP Organizer believes that if EC considers his proposal it would go a long to avoid long queues or delay in the process.

.”If prospective registrants see that the exercise doesn’t take much of their time it will encourage more potential new voters to participate in the exercise “.

Francois also seized the opportunity to appeal to all Ghanaians who have attained 18 years and above to fully take opportunity of the exercise to register their names to enable them elect their Unit/Assembly members as well as take part of 2024 general elections.