All set for special voting Monday

All is set for the conduct of Special Voting on Monday, December 2, this year, the Chairperson of the Electoral Commission (EC), Jean Mensa, has stated. 

During an interaction with the National Security Task Force, led by the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Dr George Akuffo Dampare, the EC Chairperson said the exercise would take place in 328 special voting centres across the 276 constituencies.

A total of 131,478 personnel have qualified to cast their ballots in Monday’s exercise.

The special voting is restricted to members of the security agencies, media and electoral officials who have applied and followed through the process to a successful end. 

Adequate supplies

Mrs Mensa gave an assurance that the EC had an adequate supply of ballot papers and biometric devices in place to ensure a smooth and seamless special voting exercise.

She urged all registered voters, especially those eligible for special voting, to exercise their right to vote in an orderly and peaceful manner.

“We look forward to a credible, peaceful and transparent process," the EC Chairperson added.

The special voting is a facility provided by law to allow registered voters who would not be able to present themselves at their polling stations on Election Day to vote earlier.

Preparations

The EC Chairperson said the commission had completed preparations for the December 7 general election, saying the voters' register had been disseminated across the country and ballot preparation for the presidential and parliamentary elections was nearing completion.

She stated that ballots had been distributed to police armouries nationwide, except for the Northern, Bono and Bono East regions, which received theirs earlier yesterday.

The EC had also recruited approximately 210,000 temporary officials, including returning officers, presiding officers and polling assistants, to support the electoral process, Mrs Mensa said.

The commission, she added, was also preparing biometric verification devices. She said more than eight regions had already received theirs.

Mrs Mensa expressed her gratitude to the police and the Ghana Armed Forces for their support and cooperation throughout the process.

“We are confident that by this weekend, all the biometric verification devices will be safely lodged in the police armouries across the country,” Mrs Mensa said.

She reiterated the readiness of the commission to conduct peaceful, credible, transparent, free and fair elections on December 7.

"We are fully prepared. Our staff are receiving adequate training to enable them to perform creditably on Election Day and beyond", Mrs Mensa stated.

Memoirs

Mrs Mensa further disclosed that the EC had also developed basic instructions and guidelines, known as the "Eight basic memoirs," which will be pasted at the various centres, including polling stations, constituency, regional and national collation centres.

Those instructions, she explained, would provide clarity on key aspects of the electoral process, including requests for recounts and correction of errors.

Mrs Mensa encouraged all eligible citizens to participate in the upcoming December 7 general election, saying  the commission was working tirelessly to ensure a peaceful and transparent electoral process.

“We thank all the heads of our security agencies and our media partners for working with us to ensure a peaceful and credible process,” Mrs Mensa said.

The IGP, Dr Dampare, on behalf of the National Election Task Force, assured Ghanaians of a peaceful election process and commended the EC for its excellent work so far.

“We want to commend the chairperson and her team across the country for an excellent job done so far," he said.

“We have been with them every step of the way, and we know inside out the work that has gone on to bring us to this point,” the IGP stated.

Dr Dampare also praised the partnership between the National Election Security Task Force and the EC, saying it had taken their cooperation to another level.

The Chairman of the National Security Task Force assured the public that his team was committed to ensuring that the country remained peaceful throughout the election period and thereafter.

“We'll do all it takes to ensure that this country continues to be at peace with itself," he emphasised, adding that “We will protect every Ghanaian, and we will protect every stakeholder in this election.”

Dr Dampare said the security agencies were ready to provide a secure environment for the polls.

“We are here today as a way of debriefing, as we have always done. We've done a lot of work when it comes to the printing of the ballots and the transportation of the ballots across the country,” he stated.

"We are 95 per cent done with the printing and transportation of ballots, and we are almost 50 per cent done with other logistical arrangements," the IGP revealed.