15,000 ineligible voters deleted from the voter register – EC
The Electoral Commission (EC) has disclosed that a total of 15,000 voters have been expunged from its voter register.
The Chairperson of the Commission, Jean Mensa, noted that these individuals were found to be ineligible voters, i.e., minors or foreigners.
She made this known during a press briefing on Monday, September 18, to update the public on the status of the Limited Voter Registration Exercise.
“Our experience with the 2020 registration exercise revealed that attempts by minors and foreigners to illegally get on our roll and it took great time, effort, and money to expunge them from our register. In all, we succeeded in deleting the details of 15,000 persons from our register.”
According to Madam Mensa, this justifies the Commission’s decision to limit the documentation for identifying a person’s citizenship to the Ghana Card for the ongoing exercise.
The National Democratic Congress (NDC) Constituency Youth Organizer, Courage Tetteh, has been arrested at Shai Osudoku Constituency for attempting to register minors.
Meanwhile, the Electoral Commission has cautioned guarantors to desist from vouching for minors and non-citizens.
According to the EC, it will now go after such guarantors, who will be prosecuted when found out.
“We use this opportunity to caution guarantors from guaranteeing for minors and non-citizens.
“In the past, they got away with this. This time, we intend to compile a list of defaulting guarantors and bring them up for prosecution,” she said.
To prevent this from happening, Madam Jean Mensa has encouraged citizens who observe these illegal practices to challenge them.
District Electoral officers serving as registration officers have also been charged with doing the same.
The Electoral Commission (EC) began the limited voter registration exercise in its municipal and district offices nationwide on September 12, 2023.
The purpose of the exercise is to enroll all citizens who are 18 years and older and of sound mind onto the electoral register, as mandated by the 1992 Constitution. This 21-day registration period is set to conclude on October 2, 2023.
theindependentghana.com
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