The ongoing voter exhibition exercise in the Ayawaso West Constituency of the Greater Accra Region has recorded low patronage, with some eligible voters citing busy schedules and lack of awareness about the options to verify their details electronically.
This was disclosed when GhanaWeb paid a visit to some exhibition centers in the constituency on Friday, August 23, 2024.
At the La Bawaleshie polling centre, an exhibition official, Michael Kokroko, said the exercise had been that way since the first day.
He was, however, hopeful the numbers would increase by the end of the exercise,
"So far so good, the people are also coming, although we have not recorded most of them, but I believe that from now until the end of the exercise we will be able to record at least 80 percent of voters.
"Yesterday, combining La Bawaleshie Schools A and B, we were able to record about 60. When you come, we will request for your voter ID card. We have something we call the name reference list, where we will locate your name and check if the details are there, whether they are clear, we need to check your picture to see if it is clear, perhaps some of your details are not clear. We have a form, you have to fill it out and take it to the regional office before December 7,”he noted.
He also stated that so far, the exercise has been incident-free.
“So far, we have not recorded any challenge, the atmosphere is very cool, and the people are also very supportive," he noted.
At the Legon Hall Polling Centre, an exhibition official, Lauren Teye, described the exercise as boring due to the low patronage.
"It has been boring, being honest, because the turnout is very low. We were expecting a lot of people to come and check their names, but it seems they are not interested. And also, one other thing, because we brought out the short code, everybody is checking on their phones.
"I will just encourage everyone to check their names because, the election, we all need to make a decision on who will be president. If you don't check your name and you don't come and vote, it will be a worry, maybe the person who will win is not someone you want. If you come and check your name and vote, it will turn out better for all of us," she said.
The situation was the same at the Commonwealth Hall Centre at the University of Ghana.
An exhibition official, Elizabeth Amoako, stated that the exercise had been very slow.
“It is a bit slow, the people are coming in ones and not tens. It is a slow process since we opened at 7AM till around 10:30AM, just two people have come. We have two centres divided into four, two people means just two people out of 4 centres here,” she noted.
Despite the low patronage, she stated that the centre had not recorded any incidents since the exercise began.
“So far, those who have been here have not complained about the names or photographs. None of them have had any issue with their names on the register," she explained.
The exhibition official also attributed the low patronage to students being on vacation.
“We are on campus, and we believe that most of the prospective voters are students. And they are on vacation, and since they are on vacation, we are having a low turnout.
“In addition to that, there is a short code for people to check their details in the comfort of their homes. So, someone can pay 50 pesewas to check at the comfort of their homes.
“Even though we are in Ayawaso West, some might be at Bawaleshie but vote here. So, taking the car, 50 pesewas is ok. I think those are the factors contributing to low turnout,” she noted.
The voter exhibition exercise, which will run from August 20 to 27, 2024, allows registered voters to request inclusions, object to entries, and remove the names of deceased individuals, among other actions.
It is also expected to enable prospective voters to know their respective polling stations, where they will vote on election day, and also help with the removal of names of deceased voters from the register.
The Electoral Commission of Ghana has also introduced a short message service (SMS) platform to enable registered voters to access their registration details.
By texting their 10-digit Voter ID Card number to the short code *711*51#, registered voters can access their registration details at a cost of GH¢0.50 pesewas on all networks.
JKB/AE
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