A Deputy Electoral Commissioner, Dr. Serebuor Quaicoe, has emphasized the Electoral Commission's dedication to safeguarding the integrity of the voters' register as a central part of its mandate.
He made this assertion in response to calls for an extension of the limited voters' registration from district offices to electoral areas.
According to Dr. Quaicoe, those advocating for the extension of registration to electoral areas are primarily focused on increasing the number of new registrants and not on preserving the purity of the register.
He contended that district offices are better equipped to ensure a clean and accurate voter roll.
Speaking with Joy FM he said, “For the media and the CSOs, your attention is register them, register them, register them, that is the focus of the media and the CSOs. And probably that may be the reason why maybe you’re quoting my chair, at that time she was a CSO. But when you come into the kitchen that is where you see that your responsibility changes.
“The thinking of the Commission is that it is to register people and also to protect the sanctity of the register. That is very, very important that nobody is talking about. You’re going to compile the voters’ register that would be used to determine who leads Ghana in all fronts. What goes into the register should be something that should not bring about issues,” he said.
The Electoral Commission has faced considerable criticism from political parties, civil society organizations, and the general public for its decision to conduct the limited voters' registration exclusively at district offices.
Critics argue that the inaccessibility of district offices and transportation costs, among other factors, necessitate decentralizing the exercise to electoral areas.
However, Dr. Serebuor Quaicoe clarified that the ongoing district-level registrations are primarily geared towards the upcoming district-level elections.
He explained that while the current registration is confined to district offices, the Commission plans to initiate another registration exercise next year, specifically held in the electoral areas.
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Deputy Electoral Commissioner, Dr. Serebuor Quaicoe