The Electoral Commission (EC) is insisting on the use of the Ghana Card as the sole identification document for voter registration.
The elections management body believes that the Ghana Card will deal with the issue of registering minors and foreigners onto the electoral roll.
Speaking at a forum held at the University of Ghana on Thursday, June 15, the Director of Electoral Services at the EC, Dr. Serebour Quaicoe said “We are satisfied that we have addressed impersonation to a large extent, we have addressed double registration and multiple voting to a large extent, but how do we address the registration of minors and the registration of foreigners?
“I believe the politicians will now help us because most often than not they are those who recruit those people and end up accusing the EC of having registered minors.
“But the EC thinks that one way of addressing this is to use the Ghana Card and there have been lots of arguments that we are still battling it out.
“We are still insisting that let us use the Ghana Card so that we can address the issue of minors because their dates of birth will be on the card and their citizenship will also be on the card. That will also reduce drastically the registration of minors and foreigners.”
It is recalled that the Chair of the Electoral Commission (EC) Jean Mensa earlier told Parliament that the use of the Ghana Card as the sole identification document for voter registration would ensure a credible voter roll.
She said it would also prevent minors and foreigners from getting onto the electoral register to vote.
Briefing Parliament on the Constitutional Instrument (CI) that was seeking to make the Ghana Card the only document for voter registration, on Tuesday, February 28 Madam Jean Mensa said “The use of only Ghana Card will ensure and guarantee the credibility of the register and elections, prevent enrolment of minors, prevent foreigners from voting, eliminate the guarantor system which is prone to abuse.”
“The Ghana Card will not be used for voting in 2024, it will be used to register,” she said.
However, Parliament on Friday, March 31 rejected the Public Elections (Registration of Voters ) Regulations, 2023 Constitutional Instrument (CI) proposed by the EC.