The Electoral Commission has explained reasons why it will not need the existing voters’ Identification Card as a requirement for compiling a new register.
According to Head of Communications at the EC, Sylvia Annor, any decision to use the old ID card could be likened to migrating old illegalities existing in the old register unto the new register.
National Democratic Congress (NDC) Members of Parliament have strongly opposed a proposal by the Commission to make the Ghana Card and passport the only acceptable identification for the new voters’ registration.
The argument of the NDC MPs is that the move will disenfranchise many Ghanaians and infringe Article 42 of the 1992 constitution which states that, “every citizen of Ghana of eighteen years of age or above and of sound mind has the right to vote and is entitled to be registered as a voter for the purposes of public elections and referenda.”
But Sylvia Annor in a radio interview explained some non-Ghanaians were also issued the old ID cards hence if such cards are considered as a form of identification for the compilation of a new register, the Commission’s work of ensuring a credible register will be moot.
In order to prevent non-Ghanaians from getting onto the new voters’ register, Silvia Annor said they cannot use the old ID card for a new system.
“There’s a school of thought that some people are having ID cards and someway somehow they were able to register because they said they were Ghanaians. Now we want to clean the voters’ register thoroughly and there’s the need that you don’t migrate the kind of problems in the old register unto the new system.
“When you are asked to step out of the classroom and you are coming in, the teacher has to search your pockets and make sure you do not carry anything that will affect the credibility of the exams. So that if you’re saying that someway some people were able to beat the system and go through with the ID card and you want to replace the old voters’ register, must you migrate the kind of problem you had in the old system unto the new system.”
Many Ghanaians have expressed misgivings about the EC’s decision to go ahead with the compilation of a new register amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. In times past, such exercises have required large numbers of people gathering at a specific place and many fear, the registration centres may be breeding grounds for the COVID-19 disease.
But addressing these concerns, Silvia Annor stated that the Commission will ensure that not more than 25 persons, including EC officials and political party agents, will gather at a registration centre at any given time.
She also assured that while adhering to strict social distancing protocols, the Commission will provide running water and soap as well as hand sanitizers for everyone in order to put the lives of Ghanaians at risk.
“All the political parties are going to be given the opportunity to be at the registration centres so that your party agent is there and you have the challenge system if anybody came to the registration centre and is not qualified, you have the right to challenge them
“Let’s look at the polling stations which will probably be a school compound, for the purposes of registration, I can assure you that the EC is going to make sure that at each centre, you will have not more than 25 persons around including all the officials so we’re going to have adequate spacing, we’ll have sanitizers, all the gadgets will be wiped after each use and we are going to adhere strictly to the protocols laid down.”
