There is nothing like a perfect voters' register - EC

Mrs Charlotte Osei, the Electoral Commissioner (EC) on Friday said although all registration system attempts to be perfect, it is a worldwide knowledge that there is nothing like a perfect registration system.

She noted that although the Biometric Voters Registration (BVR) which is currently used by Ghana and other countries has an accuracy level of 99.98 per cent it is still not 100 per cent perfect.

Mrs Osei said this during a two-day public forum on whether Ghana should opt for a new voters’ register as has been raised by the main opposition New Patriotic Party or audit the current one as being championed by the National Democratic Congress.

She said although the biometric registration is good, it could in no way determine or confirm the ages of people who register as it has not been programmed for that.

She noted that so far, 158,584 names have been expunged from the voter’s register due to double registration and urged community members to collaborate with the EC reporting underage people who register.

She cited comparison with other biometric data in Ghana such as the National Identification Card (ID), National Health Insurance Authority ID and school registration details as some of the measures by which the EC could deploy to expunge the names of suspected under -aged people from the register.

Mrs Osei again urged community members and party agents to endeavour to expose foreigners who go to register as the BVR has not again been programmed to determine who might and who might not be a foreigner.

She noted that although the biometric is good, it could still record multiple registration due to low quality of fingerprint, and voters who registers with less than five fingers.

She said there is cooperation with neighbouring countries’ ECs, sharing of biometric data and comparing biometric data of persons who register in more than one country as some of the measures which could help Ghana gain a clean data.

She said for Ghana to have a new voters’ register, factors such as a new legislation to support it, could delay the process.

There would also be the procurement of logistics, training of staff who would undertake the exercise, data processing and most importantly cost.