New voters' register: EC targets 16 million Ghanaians

The Electoral Commission has estimated to register sixteen (16) million eligible Ghanaian electorates onto the new voters' register.

The Commission, during an IPAC meeting on Wednesday, May 27, 2020, announced the registration exercise will begin in June this year.

Persons in the age brackets of 18 years and above are expected to participate in the exercise.

Legal documents for the registration exercise are the Ghana card and passport but those without these two requirements can register the names by the help of guarantors.

The EC's decision to compile a new voters' register has however been met by opposition from the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and members of the Inter-Party Resistance Against New Voter Register [IPRAN] who claim the Commission's is plotting to disenfranchise about 11 million eligible Ghanaians.

The NDC has also accused the EC saying it seeks to rig the December elections for the governing New Patriotic Party and the President of the Republic of Ghana, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.

But speaking in an interview with host Kwami Sefa Kayi on Peace FM's flagship programme 'Kokrokoo', a Deputy Chairman of the EC, Dr. Bossman Asare has debunked that the Commission wants to deprive some Ghanaians of their voting right.

According to him, the measures put in place by the EC will not exclude any eligible voter in the nation.

He echoed that the electorates without the Ghana card or passport have the option of someone guaranteeing for them to register their names and so no person will be left out of the registration exercise.

The EC Chairman also revealed that the Commission is approximating 16 million names to get into the new voters' register, contrary to the claims that 11 million people won't get the opportunity to register.

''We're looking at between fifteen to sixteen million. And when you take into account the machines we're using, we can register between six hundred to eight hundred thousand people''.

Dr. Bossman Asare further advised the attendees not to be entrapped by the notion that, due to the Coronavirus outbreak, they will be risking their lives going to the various registration centres.

"We have consulted with health experts, the national COVID team and the Ghana Health Service among others. The measures we are putting in place are scientific and we expect every person to abide by them. Make sure to wear face mask when going to the registration centres. We will also check your temperatures, provide water and soap for the washing of hands and hand sanitizers," he stated.

He added "the registration is not a one-day event. We are using six days" and so should a person go to a centre and the numbers are almost crammed up, he or she can register on a different day.