Ghana Card to be used for continuous registration, not new registration – EC

New voters register to cost $80million, Minority

Parliament to pass new CI for voter's ID registration with Ghana Card

Continuous register to cost lesser than normal register, EC

The Electoral Commission has debunked claims that it was going to compile a new voter's register that cost about $80 million using the Ghana Card.

The Minority has earlier stated that plans were in place by the Electoral Commission to compile a new register that would disenfranchise some Ghanaians who have not yet registered for a Ghana Card.

However, in a Citi FM interview, the Director of the Electoral Services Department at the Electoral Commission, Dr. Serebour Quaicoe, noted that his outfit is only demanding the Ghana card for a “continuous registration” exercise.

“We already compiled a register in 2020. We only want to roll out continuous registration. It is only for those who are going for the continuous registration that we are demanding for the Ghana card.”

He also refuted assertions that this would result in wasteful expenditure, especially at a time when the country is experiencing an economic downturn.

“Of course, we will have to print cards, among others, unless we are saying we will no longer update our voter register. As far as the aforementioned things will be done, we need to incur some costs. But this will not be as expensive as compiling a new voters register.

“This won’t be as expensive as the mass registration that requires getting another hands-on deck,” he added.

Also, Dr. Serebour Quaicoe disclosed that the Electoral Commission is engaging Parliament to amend “the Constitutional Instrument to allow for the continuous registration with the Ghana card.”

Meanwhile, the Minority in Parliament has stated that officials of the Electoral Commission should be summoned to brief Parliament next week to throw more light on the process of compiling “a new voters’ register” with the Ghana Card as identification.

SSD/BOG