There will be no new voter register, we’ll continuously register eligible voters to update old one – EC clarifies

The Electoral Commission (EC) says it will not be compiling a new voter’s register for the 2024 elections.

According to the Commission, it will run a continuous registration to capture potential registrants.

Speaking to journalists at the ‘Let the Citizen Know’ encounter, on Thursday, 8 September, 2022, the Deputy Chairman of the Commission in charge of operations, Samuel Tettey, explained that the Commission will not be compiling a new register but will be running a continuous registration, targeted at capturing between 450-550 thousand potential registrants, which will run all through the year.

“Rather, we would continuously register voters to update the current voters register to ensure that anyone who wants to register as a voter has the opportunity to do so.”

Mr Tettey, noted that: “This registration exercise unlike the previous registration exercise will be continuous.

“As such, anyone who has the card can just walk to our offices and register. It is not a periodic or limited registration exercise that could disenfranchise persons who do not have a Ghana Card at the time of the limited exercise. This is an all-year-round process,” he assured.

He indicated that potential registrants will therefore have the chance to register as and when they acquire their Ghana Card.

He however refuted claims that, the Ghana Card will be the requirement for voting in the 2024 polls.

“We have also heard discussions to the effect that citizens will vote with the Ghana Card in 2024; this is not true,” he informed.

“The card is only a requirement to register as a voter for those who have not previously registered,” Mr Tettey stated.

Mr Tettey, however, noted that the Commission will no longer use the guarantor system in upcoming voter registration exercises.

According to the Deputy EC Chair, the guarantor system is fraught with challenges.

Thus the Ghana Card will be the sole source of identification for registration of eligible voters.

Source: classfmonline.com