The mass voter registration by the Electoral Commission (EC) has entered its sixth and final phase beginning Saturday, August 1, 2020.
The entire registration exercise will end on Thursday, August 6, 2020.
A statement issued by the Electoral Commission (EC) urged all eligible voters to take advantage of the final phase and register in order to vote on December 7, 2020.
The Commission said it had noted with satisfaction the high patronage of the exercise as of now and therefore appealed to all prospective applicants to respond to the final call and register at Registration Centres near them.
“The Commission assures members of the public that it will enforce all the safety protocols at all Registration Centres throughout the country,” it added.
It, however, cautioned Members of Political Parties to desist from bussing non-residents to specific registration centres.
Additionally, Guarantors are reminded that it is an offense to charge fees in exchange for vouching for Applicants.
It expressed appreciation to the public for their continued support and interest in the work of the Commission.
Over 12 million registered
More than 12 million voters have so far been registered in the ongoing mass voter registration exercise which has entered the penultimate phase.
As of Sunday, July 26, the Chairperson of the Electoral Commission (EC), Mrs Jean Mensa, said 12,371,651 persons had been registered across the country; a figure she said gave inspiration that the Commission would meet its 15 million target.
Before this new registration exercise, there were a total of 16,845,439 voters on the register which the EC said was a bloated figure but did not have an effective means of cleaning it.
Justifying the need for a new Biometric Voters Register for Election 2020, the EC said the present register is bloated yet there has not been any effective means of cleaning it.
It said the bloated register thus needlessly increases the cost of elections as materials must be procured for an otherwise high voter population that does exist, leading also to waste. Besides, its continued use will greatly affect the credibility of the election.
The Commission subsequently procured a new Biometric Voter Management System to compile a new Voters Register for the 2020 general elections.
The Commission explained it also took the decision to procure the new Biometric Voter Management System on the advice of its IT team and external consultants “to the effect that, it would be prudent to acquire a new system rather than refurbish the current system.”
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Source: Daily Graphic
