The Electoral Commission (EC), has disclosed that it intends to register 15 million Ghanaians in the ongoing registration exercise ahead of the December 7 general elections.
The figure represents about half of the country’s 30 million projected population.
So far the commission has issued out 2,215,816 identity cards to prospective voters following the first phase of the ongoing mass registration exercise which ended on Sunday.
Speaking at the launch of the ‘Let the Citizen Know’ initiative in Accra yesterday, a deputy chair in charge of Operations at the Commission, Mr Samuel Tettey said a breakdown of the provisional numbers recorded during the six-day registration exercise showed out of the 2,215,816 registered voters, 1,314,468 applicants used the National Identification Authority (NIA) issued Ghana card, representing 59.3% of the figure.
Similarly, 679,617 representing 30.7% used the guarantor system, while the remaining 37,859 which is 0.2% used passport to register for the voters ID card.
Mr Tettey explained that as many as 361,036 applicants were registered on the first day of the second phase of the registration exercise.
Despite this, he acknowledged that the first phase of the exercise was characterised by some challenges, adding that “the Commission has taken measures to address them”.
He mentioned that the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE) had received 60 vehicles to enhance community education on adhering to social distancing protocols at the various registration centres.
With respect to overcrowding which was witnessed in many centres during the first phase of the exercise, Mr Tettey said that the election management body had instituted the Queue Management System (QMS) to deal with it.
As part of QMS the EC would provide the first 150 applicants at the centre with number chits before registration begins.
The first 75 would then be served in the morning and early afternoon, while the remaining 75 would have their turn in immediately after the first batch have been attended to.
In addition, the EC would provide chairs at various registrations centres in a well-spaced out manner to avoid overcrowding.
Also, Mr Tettey said that the EC’s mobile registration system had been made operational, leading to the deployment of mobile kits to centres that experience overcrowding.
“On the issue of the cluster registration which has led people not having information on the movement of EC officials to their centres, the Commission has intensified its media advertisement in that regards,” he said.
He stated that such information had been made available on the EC’s website and other social media platforms.
Mr Tettey further stated that there has been the introduction of local languages such as Ga, Sissali, Dagari, Dagaati, and Twi among others.
BY FRANCIS NTOW& ELSIE COMMODORE
