The Electoral Commission of Ghana (EC) has directed its officers to register new voters offline when faced with difficulties in accessing the online registration system during the ongoing Limited Voter Registration exercise. This decision aims to ensure a smooth and uninterrupted voter registration process for all eligible citizens.
Reports of network issues causing delays in voter registration surfaced on Tuesday morning, prompting the EC to take action. The online registration system was initially introduced to expedite the registration process and immediately detect double registrations. However, technical glitches on the first day of the exercise led to a change in approach.
Dr. Serebour Quaicoe, Director of Electoral Services at the EC, acknowledged the “initial hitches” with the online system and expressed confidence that the situation would improve as the registration exercise progressed. He further explained that officers have been instructed to switch to offline registration when faced with challenges.
“We have asked them (officers) to switch offline if they encounter challenges. All those registered offline, the system will review their identities and if their names appear on the multiple list they will not vote,” Dr Quaicoe said.
Dr. Quaicoe emphasized that individuals registered offline would still undergo a verification process to ensure their names do not appear on multiple registration lists before being eligible to vote. This measure seeks to maintain the integrity of the electoral process.
Despite the technical setbacks, Dr. Quaicoe noted that the registration exercise has generally proceeded smoothly, with the only disruptions being caused by rainfall in various parts of the country.
The Limited Voter Registration exercise, conducted in accordance with Article 45 of the 1992 Constitution, is currently taking place at 268 District Offices of the Electoral Commission.
Originally scheduled to commence at 0800 hours, delays in connecting to the EC’s online registration system in some centres led to a delayed start time of 1000 hours in certain locations. The registration process is set to continue until October 2, 2023.