We’re printing notice of poll, not ballot papers — EC to NDC

The Electoral Commission (EC) of Ghana has responded to claims made by the National Democratic Congress (NDC) regarding the printing of ballot papers for the upcoming 2024 Presidential and Parliamentary Elections.

In a press release dated October 10, the EC assured the public that ballot paper printing has not yet commenced and clarified the timeline and processes leading to the printing of election materials.

The EC’s statement comes in the wake of concerns raised by Dr. Edward Omane Boamah, Director of Elections and IT for the NDC, who in a Facebook post questioned the integrity of the election process.

Dr. Boamah’s post criticized the EC for allegedly planning to print ballot papers without first providing ballot statistics based on the certified voters’ register.

In its response, the EC emphasized that what is currently being printed is not the ballot papers but the Notice of Poll, a necessary preparatory step ahead of the elections.

According to the Deputy Chairman of Operations, Samuel Tettey, printing of ballot papers will only begin after the requisite ballot statistics have been provided to all stakeholders, including political parties.

“We would like to assure the General Public that printing of ballot papers has not commenced. Printing of Notices of Poll for the 2024 Presidential and Parliamentary Elections, however, begins on Friday, 11th October, 2024,” the statement reads in part.

The EC reiterated its commitment to transparency, stating that “the Commission will provide ballot statistics to Candidates/Political Parties and all Printing Houses before the printing of ballot papers starts.” The EC urged all stakeholders to trust the institution to conduct transparent, credible, free, and fair elections in December 2024.

Earlier, Dr. Edward Omane Boamah had raised alarms over the EC’s approach to printing ballots, suggesting that printing could proceed without certified ballot statistics, a move he said would undermine the integrity of the electoral process.

In his post titled “Why It’s Dangerous for the Jean Mensa Led Electoral Commission to Print Ballot Papers Without Certified Voters Register”, Dr. Boamah accused the EC of aiding a potential election rigging scheme by the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP).

“Why would Jean Mensah wish to print ballot papers without a certified register? Which ballot statistics does she intend to rely on?” Dr. Boamah asked.

He further claimed that excess ballot papers could be used to manipulate election results, citing past incidents during the 2020 elections.

“Strong and credible evidence suggests the national popular votes are in favor of the NDC. But these popular votes can be neutralized by the wicked agenda of NPP to stuff the ballot boxes with about one million already thumbprinted ballot papers,” he alleged.