The Electoral Commission (EC) has assured the people of Ghana that issues of impersonation, double voter registration, and plural voting in elections have been tackled satisfactorily.
But there still remains the issue of minors and foreigners registering onto the voter register, the Commission said.
The EC indicated this challenge can be dealt with if the Ghana Card is allowed to be used as sole identification document for voter registration.
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.”
A Former National Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) Peter Mac Manu also made a case for the Ghana Card to be used as the sole document for voter registration.
In his view, the Ghana Card has a system to check age fraud and also deal with foreigners who attempt to take part in Ghana’s elections.
Speaking at the same event, he said “We have a voter registration that is to be taken which we have accepted to be technology based. But the issue of who qualifies to be on a register is still a matter that needs to be settled.
“I think that the use of other means like the guarantor system is fraught with violence at the polling station and we should not encourage that in this modern technological era when we have Ghana Card, a solid technology behind that to eliminate age cheating in elections and registration and foreigners registering on our register. I think the use of Ghana, however difficult it is, we must encourage it.”
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.