The Coalition of National Youth Organisers (CNYO) has sent a petition to the Chair of the Electoral Commission, Ghana (EC), Jean Mensa, to reconsider the decentralisation of the impending limited registration exercise.
The Commission announced on Thursday, August 17 that a limited registration will be held in all of its 268 district offices ahead of the district level elections in December.
But the Coalition adduced a number of reasons why this will not help.
“Conducting the limited registration exercises at the polling stations will serve as a dress rehearsal for the Electoral Commission, so that the Commission will know the challenges and find solutions to them during the election day,” it said among other reasons in the petition dated Monday, August 21.
“The Electoral Commission should consider creating temporary polling stations or electoral areas in the various High schools and Tertiary schools and station their registration officers there, to enable most of new registrants register with ease,” also stated by the petition, which was also sent to the Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin.
It said the decision by the EC could disenfranchise qualified voters because those who have turned 18 may not have money to travel long distances to the district offices to register.
“The tax payer’s money has been made available to the Electoral Commission to make sure each qualified Ghanaian, as prescribed in Article 42 of our Constitution is allowed to decide who should represent them.”
The Coalition said failure by the Commission to heed to the call of members “will trigger a legal action by the Coalition against the Commission”.