On August 18, 2015, the largest opposition party in Ghana, the New Patriotic Party (NPP), held a press conference in Accra to claim that the current voter register was flawed.
At the same event, the NPP also demanded a complete replacement of the current voter register before the next general elections. Primarily, the NPP alleged that the register contained persons not qualified (including non-Ghanaians) to register and vote, in Ghana.
The party subsequently followed up their allegations with evidence and a petition to the Electoral Commission (EC).
Since then, political parties and civil society organizations (CSOs) have joined the debate, with some either endorsing the call or dismissing the call for replacement outright, and others recommending an investigation into the allegations.
In response and following an Inter Party Advisory Committee (IPAC) meeting, the EC requested political parties and selected CSOs to submit position papers on the matter for presentation and discussion at a national stakeholder conference later.
Indeed, the present debate for a replacement of the current voter register, championed by the NPP, is not new to the Fourth Republic. Depending on who is in power or in opposition, Ghana�s general elections has contended with various allegations of the names of minors or foreigners in the voter register; and a bloated register that is statistically inconsistent with Ghana�s national adult population.
In many instances, some of these allegations have proven to be true, and the EC, on its own has acknowledged some of the flaws. Previous Democracy Watch editions (No.3, August 2000; No. 4, December 2000; No.27, 2009) have commented on this subject and offered recommendations for addressing this perennial challenge facing the EC.
With less than 14 months to the 2016 general elections, the integrity of the voter register is once again, being questioned. Democracy Watch believes that this, undoubtedly, presents an early warning signal and a significant challenge to the successful conduct of the upcoming elections.
As noted in Democracy Watch (No.27, 2009) �a perfect voter register may well be utopian, however, a reasonably credible voter�s roll is a key pre-requisite for a peaceful and credible elections.� Democracy Watch therefore supports the call by the Electoral Commission and many well-meaning Ghanaians for a national debate on the recent public discourse on the current voters� register.
�A perfect voter register may well be utopian; however, a reasonably credible voter�s roll is a key pre-requisite for peaceful and credible elections.�
Democracy Watch believes that an objective and honest discussion of the issues by the EC, political parties, and civil society is necessary if the perennial ritual of contesting the credibility of the voter register before general elections are held is to be avoided.
The discussions must transcend a short-term solution towards the 2016 general elections, and seek a sustainable medium to long-term solution that will ensure that questions about the credibility of the voter�s register are fully addressed. With the EC�s past record of conducting and overseeing six generally free and fair, elections, we are confident that it has the capacity to deal with the present challenges associated with the voter�s register.
Democracy Watch is of view that should there be merit in the present allegations about flaws in the voter register; the EC must take steps to replace the register, or, at best, make the necessary moves to mitigate the inconsistencies that are likely to affect the credibility of the register before the general elections in 2016.
Any moves to address the flaws in the current register, including processes of compiling a new voter�s register, must be guided by plans leading to long-term solutions instead of a short-term solution for the upcoming general elections (in 2016), as has been done in the past.
To be sure, Democracy Watch believes that the steps currently in place for compiling the voters� register contain adequate safeguards for ensuring integrity of the end product.
And that, the existing legal framework and the Biometric Voter Registration (BVR), should be able to produce a broadly accepted and trustworthy Certified Voter Register. However, the compilation of a voter�s register is, essentially a human endeavor and, therefore, capable of being compromised, by design or default and through actions and omissions.
Indeed, the BVR is a superior technology for voter registration. And yet, as the current debate suggests, its introduction in 2012, does not appear to have sufficiently addressed the weaknesses in the previous method of voter registration.
BVR was lauded by all major electoral stakeholders, including the Coalition of Domestic Election Observers (CODEO), particularly, for helping to reduce the incidence of multiple registrations. But not even the deployment of BVR could eliminate the potential for minors and non-Ghanaians to register.
�...the steps currently in place for compiling the voter�s register contain adequate safeguards for ensuring integrity of the end product. And that, the existing legal framework and the BVR, should be able to produce a broadly accepted and trustworthy Certified Voter Register.�
Going forward, and in the light of the present protest and frustrations with the current voter register, it is critical that efforts are made to address issues that have been presented to the EC, and that the EC ensures that the voter register does not become the focus of election disputes in the 2016 general elections.
� ...in the light of the present protest and frustrations with the current voter register, it is critical that efforts are made to address issues that have been presented to the EC, and that the EC ensures that the voter register does not become the focus of election disputes in the 2016 general elections. �
Democracy Watch fully endorses steps taken by the EC so far to provide opportunities to political parties and civil society groups to discuss the search for a permanent solution to the recurring voter register problem.
It is important that the search for a common ground to create a credible voter register is not left to the political parties alone, but that other state and non-state actors be included in the process.
�It is important that the search for a common ground to create a credible voter�s register is not left to the political parties alone, but that other state and non-state actors be included in the process.�
As its contribution to a meaningful resolution towards a more lasting solution, Democracy Watch strongly recommends both a short-term and medium to long-term policy proposals to the present challenges:
Short-term measure
In the short term, the EC must use the NPP�s claim as prima facie basis for conducting an audit of the existing voter register to determine the degree of flaws in that register.
The audit should seek to identify foreign nationals captured in the voter register as well as individuals who managed to register using the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) card as proof of citizenship. If the EC keeps proper records, it should be able to determine how many individuals have registered with the NHIA card.
The audit, which can be done by using �voter list to voter population� (List Verification) or �population to voter list� (Resident Verification), can provide the scientific basis for any further decision to be made by the EC.
A voter register audit is one way to ascertain the veracity of such claims. A scientific audit will provide an objective basis for determining how compromised the register is, and if deemed fatal, to start a new registration process altogether.
The audit will also help establish a legal and moral basis for the EC to systematically expunge ineligible voters from the roll. Such an exercise will help in the development of a more reliable method for voter registration in future.
Such an independent audit exercise must be conducted by an experienced election analyst group (local and/or foreign), with the involvement of all key election stakeholders, to bring maximum transparency to the process and its outcomes.
Medium to Long-Term Measure
In the medium to long term, the EC should study the available evidence on best practices in voter registration. One common component of reliable voter registrations is the use of a National Identity card. No form of identification system is fraud-proof.
However, some may be more prone to fraud than others may. In particular, the non-documentary forms of identification, such as reliance on the verbal guarantee of any two registered voters are fraught with opportunity for fraud and abuse.
Indeed, eligibility based on one�s possession of an existing voter registration card will not address concerns raised about the current register, if a future register is to be compiled. Thus, a form of identification designed for election purposes is more susceptible to electoral fraud than a multipurpose identity document like a passport or a national identity card.
As an initial part of the reform process, Democracy Watch proposes the abolition of the verbal form of identification in voter registration, which has been abused in the past.
In the long term, Democracy Watch encourages providing a national identity card to every citizen or linking the voter registration card to the Births and Deaths registry, and national identification system, as more reliable means to register to vote.
�Thus, a form of identification designed for election purposes is more susceptible to electoral fraud than a multipurpose identity document like a passport or a national identity card.�
Democracy Watch, in principle, shares the position that the decision as to whether or not to produce a new register rests with the EC. We also believe, however, that such a decision must be backed by scientific analysis (auditing of the register) and thorough investigations of the current concerns that have been raised.
Only preliminary audits, will tell what a good plan will look like. Building a better approach to compiling the voters� register will serve Ghana not just for one election cycle but indefinitely.
Democracy Watch believes, however, that a trustworthy voter register cannot be expected to appear without the foundation of a reliable system. It is therefore essential that the process by which voters are registered be improved by appropriate means.
However, creating a new register now, without addressing the reasons for the shortcomings in the current one, would simply turn the issue of whether any register is credible into an arena on which political contests are staged.
To be sure, it is the actions and inactions of the EC and political parties that has led to the persistent credibility gaps in Ghana�s voter register.
The chronic failure of voter registration officials to uniformly apply and strictly enforce election registration rules and procedures, self-serving interest of political parties and their agents, the lack of participation of citizens (voters) at various stages of the compilation process, and inability of the EC to undertake thorough and continuous cleaning of the voter roll have all contributed to the credibility problems with the voter�s register.
�The chronic failure of voter registration officials to uniformly apply and strictly enforce election registration rules and procedures, self-serving interest of political parties and their agents, the lack of participation of citizens (voters) at various stages of the compilation process, and inability of the EC to undertake thorough and continuous cleaning of the voter roll have all contributed to the credibility problems with the voter�s register.�
Our position is that the underlying problems, which produce poor voter registers must be addressed, so that the question of �who can vote?� is not something partisan political competitors argue about, but is instead left in the hands of a reliable and transparent process.
The EC has the constitutional mandate to produce a voters� register and supervise clean elections. However, if the EC decides to initiate the compilation of a new voter register, it is imperative that such a responsibility does not solely rest with them; but that, political parties and citizens are allowed to play the important role of ensuring that a credible and trustworthy voter register is produced.
Short of that, we will end up where we are today, a situation where the voter register usually presents imminent threat to the conduct of dispute-free elections and their intended peaceful outcomes during each election cycle. Worse, we will end up with a disputed election that jeopardizes Ghana�s democracy.
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