Electoral Commission Gives Breakdown Of Voters Register Ahead Of December 7 Polls

A total of 17,027,641 persons are expected to take part in the December 7 General Election.

The number comprises 8,810,283 females, representing 51.74 per cent of total voters and 8,217,358 males, representing 48.26 per cent.

This was made known by the Chairperson of the Electoral Commission, Mrs Jean Mensa, at a press conference in Accra on Monday, November 30.

Giving a breakdown of the total number of registrants in across the 16 regions, Mrs Mensa noted that the Greater Accra Region had the highest number of registrants, while the North East Region had the least.

According to Mrs Mensah, the voters register was presented to all the political parties on Saturday November 7, 2020.

Breakdown per region


Greater Accra Region - 3,528,996

Ashanti Region - 3,019,178

Eastern Region - 1,641,050


Central Region - 1,567,756

Western Region - 1,187,333


Northern Region - 1,050,016

Volta Region - 924,116

Upper East Region - 659,317

Bono Region - 653,378

Bono East Region - 594,610

Upper West Region - 469,753

Western North Region - 468,683

Oti Region - 358,552

Ahafo Region - 316,970

Savannah Region -298,404

North East Region - 289,529

Missing names list

According to Mrs Mensa, the Commission had also generated a “Missing names list”, capturing the names and details of persons whose registrations were challenged but later overturned by the court, those who were placed in wrong polling stations and persons whose names were not captured in the final voters register.

She said the list consisted of 830 names and that the list would be made available at the various polling stations where they registered to enable them to vote.

Manual verification

Mrs Mensa added that 542 persons would be made to vote via manual verification.
She said the names were identified after a reconciliation of the number of persons who actually registered with the number of persons on the voters register.

Exceptions list

Mrs Mensa also dismissed reports suggesting that the Commission had deliberately removed persons from the register and placed them on the exceptions list. 

She said the list, which made up of 13,997 persons, included unique individuals who conducted various forms of electoral malpractices including underage registration, registration by foreigners, and registration by persons not ordinarily resident in the area where they wish to register

Multiples list

According to Mrs Mensa, a total of 7,890 unique individuals engaged in multiple registrations.

“By its name this list refers to the number of multiple registrations done by unique individuals. It does not refer to unique individuals. As such, if a person registered five (5) times, all five registrations will be recorded on the list although the five registrations were undertaken by one person,” she explained.

She said the list was generated by the ABIS system when it detects multiple registrations by a unique individual when the same set of fingerprints appears for persons bearing different names.

“The system picks this up and isolates the registrant. This is not done by staff of the commission,” she stressed.

Transparency

According to Mrs Mensa, it was not the practice of the EC to publish the Multiples and Exceptions List but “in the spirit of transparency the Commission has decided to publish both lists on its website.”

“Both lists add up to a total number twenty one thousand, eight hundred and eighty seven (21,887) unique individuals. For the information of the general public, the Exceptions and Multiples List prior to the 2016 election amounted to some eight hundred thousand 800,000 persons. They were banned from voting in the 2016 Elections. Today these persons have been given another opportunity to register and vote,” she noted.

Verification

Mrs Mensa also urged the public to verify their voter registration details which have been published on the Commission’s website, https://registers.ec.gov.gh or dial the USSD code *711*2020#.

“The publication of the Final Voters Register in these two electronic formats will enable Voters ascertain their Polling Station details  to enable them go through a seamless voting process on election day,” she said.

Source: graphic.com.gh