The Electoral Commission of Ghana (EC) has outlined modalities for the 2024 special voting exercise.
According to the Commission, the special voting which is slotted for December 2 is not automatic and that applicants should follow the due process in order to exercise their franchise.
Addressing the media, the Chairperson of the Electoral Commission, Jean Adukwei Mensa stated that “Modalities for the 2024 special voting to ensure seamless application and voting process for all applicants of the special voting. The Commission has adopted the following measures”
“All applicants for special voting should apply directly to the Returning Officer of the constituency where the applicant is a registered voter. Members from institutions who desire to apply as a group may submit the list of their offices to the Returning Offices to serve as a register to facilitate the process. The list must contain the names of each applicant, the voter’s ID card, the Poling Station code as it appears on the voter’s ID card of each applicants”
“These particulars will enable the Returning Officer, verify if the applicant is a registered voter in the constituency. Please note that all applicants must apply in person to the Returning Officer. Applicants who have misplaced their voter’s ID cards should replace their cards during the exercise to replace the lost ID cards to enable them to state the correct particulars for their application. It is important to emphasize that any person registering out of the group that we have mentioned, namely: The Ghana Police Service, the Immigration Service, the Ghana Armed Forces, the Customs, the Prisons, the media, should have a letter from their institutions to back their application unless if it is a group and the list is emilating from institution, of course that list should be backed by a former letter indicating that they indeed belong to that institution. This will prevent impersonation.”
Who qualifies to register?
“In addition to the list of organizations mentioned earlier, an applicant must be a registered voter in the constituency where he or she wishes to vote. Again, an applicant who registered in constituency A and currently resides in constituency B, and wishes to vote in constituency B during the special voting must transfer his or her vote during the transfer period before he or she can apply to vote in constituency B.”
“This means that if you initially registered in 2020 for example, you registered in constituency A but has since moved to a new constituency B and you want to vote as a special voter in constituency B, it is not automatic, you must take advantage of transfer of vote and you must transfer your vote from constituency A to constituency B to enable you to vote during the special voting exercise.”
“If an applicant fails to transfer his or her votes to constituency B and apply for special voting, the applicant name will not appear in constituency B because he or she will not have transferred their vote. Their names will still be in constituency A where they initially registered as voters.”
“Please note, and this is very important, the special voting is not automatic. As such, Offices who will be assigned special duties outside their constituencies on election day will have to register and will have to apply to be placed on the special voting list. I like to emphasize again that special voting is not automatic.”
“Once the application of the voter is accepted, the name of the voter will be temtopray removed from the original polling station and the constituency where that voter registered originally. It means that such a voter can not vote on the 7th of December, that is the day of the general election as this will amount to double registration.”
“The Commission has developed a form that institutions should use to apply at their constituencies. Not only institutions but individuals should use that form because it clearly spells out the information that is required to assist the Returning Officer place any applicant on the special voter’s register.”
Source: Elvisanokyenews.com
