EC to appoint special officers to collate 2024 election results

The Electoral Commission (EC) of Ghana has hinted at appointing special officers who will help collate the 2024 election results.

This, the Commission says, will help solve some challenges that arise at collation centres.

Deputy Chairman in charge of Corporate Services, Dr Bossman Asare, speaking with Nana Osei Ampofo Adjei on Adom TV’s Current Affairs show, The Big Agenda on what went right and wrong in the 2020 elections, said the biometric verification machines worked to perfection even than what the EC expected which led to smooth voting, but one challenge was delay in collation.

“Our highest point in the 2020 general election was the BVD machines worked so well than what we expected and because of that, there were no long queues at centres and I was even wondering if Ghanaians did not go out to vote,’’ Dr Asare said.

“Our lowest point was collation so this time we have planned to appoint special officers who will be in charge of collation,” he said.

Dr Asare added that sometimes the collation centres are not spacious and so they are planning to acquire spacious areas for the 2024 general election.

“For example, at some collation centres, the parliamentary candidates come with their agents as well as the presidential candidate, all these including journalists, EC officials and the Election Observers, make the collation centre crowded so we’ve thought of finding very spacious areas in the next election,’’ he said.

He also touched on increasing the number of security officers at collation centres.

Dr Asare, speaking on using Ghana Card as a requirement for new voter card, said the Commission is not compiling a new Voters Register but the Ghana card requirement is for new applicants.

“This means that those who had the chance to register in 2020 will not be registered again but those who are now coming to acquire voter ID card, they will have to provide their card to show they are Ghanaians and have attained 18 since the Ghana card has date of birth on it,’’ he stated.

He believes this will help curb chaos that occur during registration.

He also said most of the confusion at registration centres were as a result of the guarantor system which the Commission is trying to eliminate.

SOURCE: Kwame Kulenu