Replace Voters ID Card With National Citizenship Card

A Board Member of the Ghana Legal Literacy And Resource Foundation (GLLARF), Ms. Dorcas Coker-Appiah, has suggested that the Electoral Commission changes the voters identification cards to national citizenship identity cards for casting votes in future elections, adding that with the help of the citizen card foreigners and minor citizens will be prevented from partaking in natuional elections.

She was speaking at the launching of Election 2000 Report organised by GLLARF in Accra this week.

Ms. Coker-Appiah explained that if the commission introduced the National Citizen Cards it will bring about positive, free and fair elections to the benefit of the country.

She revealed that GLLARF was established by the Ghana Bar Association (GBA) to monitor elections in the country, adding that their task is to undertake legal education of non-lawyers with a view to giving them a better understanding of the laws and help transform their perspectives on traditional and cultural beliefs and also to create awareness of the basic laws that affect the citizenry.

On his part, Mr. Sam Okudzeto, a Board Member of GLLARF, who chaired the function, said that the code of conduct for Political Parties was not followed during the political rallies leading to the elections, adding that their leaders failed to explain their manifestos to the public.

He noted that it was the first time since independence that an incumbent government was voted out of power through the ballot box.

Okudzeto said many of the voters were not conversant with the election procedures, adding that some of them did not know what to do with the ballot paper even after the electoral officers had explained what was to be done.

He stated that the foundation recommends that voter education in all aspects should be an on-going process, adding "since the Electoral Commission and the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE) may not have all the resources to embark on sustained intensive voter education, civil society can assist in this important exercise."

The legal guru said the voters register used during the last elections was imperfect in the sense that some of the voters could not find their names at their polling stations during the elections.

He, however, added that some polling stations did not have access to shelter and they recommend for shelter at least for the electoral officers.