Ho, Aug.4, GNA - There was little registration officers could do but to give the benefit of the doubt to those who call to register and claim they have attained the voting age of 18 years. Three registration officers who spoke separately to the Ghana News Agency at their Registration Centres in the Ho Municipality on Sunday said it was up to observers and the public to challange the eligibility of such people.
The registration officers were Ms Vivian Apau of the E.P. Primary Centre at Kpoanyigba, Bankoe, Reverend Gershon Lokko, Electoral Commission Centre and Mr Samuel Lawson of the Ahoe Market Square Centre. Reverend Lokko said the best they could do was to question such people and that, ideally either a birth certificate or baptismal certificate in the case of Christians could help authenticate such claims.
He said since birth registration was still low in the country and such proofs were not mandatory, much depended on "moral suasion". So far a total of 676 eligible voters have registered at those three out of the six designated Registration centres in the Ho Municipality since the revision began on Thursday July 31, 2008. The other centres are Rural Training Centre, Bankoe, R.C. Primary Agbasiafe Dome and Heve Lower Primary. The revision was to allow those who have attained the minimum voting age of 18 years since the last registration in 2004 to register to be able to vote in this year's general elections on December 7. Figures made available to the GNA by Ms. Apau at the E.P. Primary Kpoanyigba Centre showed that a total of 265 people were registered as at 14.18 hours on Sunday. Excluding those registered on Sunday, a total of 82 of those registered at the Kpoanyigba Centre were 18 years old, 36 were 19 years old and 71 were between 20 and 70 years old.
The Electoral Commission Centre registered a total of 228 people excluding those being registered on Sunday, Reverend Lokko told the GNA. Reverend Lokko said he was yet to analyse the age categories of those registered. At the Ahoe market Centre, Mr Lawson, Registration Officer said a total of 183 people were registered up to Saturday July 2. He said 20 percent of those registered so far at the Centre were between 18 and 19 years old.
