Visit polling stations and verify your details from September 18 – EC to voters

The Electoral Commission (EC) of Ghana will display the provisional register for the public from September 18 to September 25 to verify their details.

Voters are expected to visit their polling stations to ensure that their details have been captured accurately to help them vote in the December 2020 polls.

The process would also help the EC to tie all loose ends and also grant access to political parties to know the number of valid registrants on the register in every constituency.

The process would include correction of details, replacement of unclear photographs, verification of polling station details and a chance to “object to the inclusion of unqualified names in the register on grounds such as the registration of minors and non- Ghanaians”.

The EC noted in a statement that the exercise would last a week and would run from 7.00am to 6.00pm each day, including Saturday and Sunday.

“All registered voters are encouraged to visit their polling stations with their voter’s ID cards to verify their details,” the release added.
Voters who registered at the district offices of the EC have been entreated to visit the polling station assigned to them during the registration exercise to verify their details.

“The Commission has also introduced an SMS Platform to enable registered Voters access their registration details.

“To access this Platform, Voters should simply text their Voter ID Card Number to the Short Code 1422 to obtain their registration details,” the release added.

Changes to a person’s details can be requested at the exhibition centre and effected at the district office of the Commission.

By the end of the registration exercise, a total of 16.9 millions registrations had been captured, exceeding the target of the EC pegged earlier at 15 million.

The new register is set to be the fifth voters register in 28 years, averaging a new register every 5.6 years.
The new register, funded completely from government resources, cost GHC 390 million.

Voter register compilation

The EC had highlighted the need for the new voters’ register based on several factors which included the need to replace the outmoded biometric machines and cleaning of the register deemed bloated.

The EC further argued that there were ineligible persons on the register that needed to be expunged.

The EC said the new system would have a facial recognition feature, non-existent with the previous data compiled in 2012.

Several Ghanaians raised concerns about the cost and repetitive registration with the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) indicating that there was no need for a new voter roll.

Prior to the latest one, Ghana upgraded to a biometric voter register in 2012 which recorded about 14.3 million voters.

There have been previous registers compiled for the country in  2000, 1996 and 1992.

These registers were discarded due to population increase and technological advancement.

Ghana’s first voter ID in 1992 had no picture. Black and white photo IDs were introduced in 1996 and later colored photo IDs in 2000.

After 12 years, Ghana compiled its first biometric register in 2012. Some eight years later, it has been overtaken with a register that will have facial recognition features.