74,800 new biometric verification devices procured for Dec 7 polls – EC

Seventy-four thousand, eight hundred brand new biometric verification devices will be used in the conduct of the much anticipated December 7 polls, the Chairperson of the Electoral Commission has said.

Briefing Parliament on the elections management body’s preparedness for the upcoming polls on Saturday, November 7, 2020, Jean Mensa expressed hope that the new devices will “enhance the integrity and credibility of the polls”.

“It is expected that the enhanced features of the devices will speed up the verification process and go a long way to ensure that only persons whose biometric details are captured in our system vote on the Election Day,” Mensah said.

The devices, Jean Mensa explained have a record of both fingerprints as well as the facial features of each unique individual. “As a result, in the event where an individual has lost the use of his/her fingers, the facial recognition feature will be employed to identify the voter,” she said.

“We are confident that the use of both features will go a long way to enhance the integrity of the Polls,” she added.

The Chairperson of the EC’s briefing to Parliament comes days after the commission was accused of snubbing the lawmaking by some Members of Parliament—an allegation the commission unequivocally refuted.