Voters Register: The Electoral Commission (EC) is scheduled to convene an Inter-Party Advisory Committee (IPAC) meeting on Tuesday, October 1, 2024, to deliberate on significant matters concerning the Voters’ Register for the upcoming 2024 General Election.
The forthcoming meeting, anticipated to take place in Accra on Tuesday morning, will see participation from the diverse political parties and will be orchestrated by the Commission.
The Ghana News Agency has reported that the Commission intends to utilize the platform to elucidate the measures it is undertaking to rectify certain identifiable inaccuracies in the register and to foster consensus aimed at establishing a more robust register in anticipation of the December 7 elections.
The meeting will also consider the concerns and suggestions put forth by the political parties regarding the Voters’ Register and other matters pertaining to the electoral processes.
The Electoral Commission has faced ongoing demands to undertake a forensic audit of the Voters’ Register, prompted by apprehensions expressed by the National Democratic Congress regarding the register’s integrity, particularly in light of instances where voters were transferred without their explicit consent.
In the meantime, the EC has asserted that demands for a forensic audit of the Provisional Voters’ Register are untimely, given that it has yet to fully utilize the established procedures for cleansing the register.
In reply to a petition from the NDC, the Commission stated that it had predominantly addressed the discrepancies noted in the Register, further indicating that it would conduct an online exhibition of the register prior to its finalization.
In a correspondence addressed to the NDC and signed by Mrs. Jean Mensa, Chairperson of the Electoral Commission, it was stated that the exhibition of the Provisional Voters’ Register facilitated the opportunity for inspection and rectification of any discrepancies.
The Commission’s District Officers were executing the decisions and recommendations put forth by the District Registration Review Officers.
“From above, it is evident that the creation of a Final Voters Register constitutes a process rather than a mere event.” Such transformations do not occur instantaneously. The attainment of a Final Register necessitates meticulous effort and intricate processes.
“The aforementioned processes are currently in progress and remain incomplete.” The Electoral Commission stated, “Consequently, we assert that the request for a forensic audit is untimely.”
