A Senior Programmes Officer at the Ghana Centre for Democratic Development (CDD-Ghana), Nana Kwabena Abrampah Mensah has said there will be no need for a new voters’ register if the necessary mechanisms are not put in place to ensure that a new one withstand the test of time.
He said the sharing of opinions and deliberations as being shown now will help the Electoral Commission and all stakeholders to sieve the pros and cons to inform their final decisions.
He added that the discourse helps Civil Society Organizations as well to share ideas about the funding and other relevant issues for any new voter’s register.
Recalling the stance of the CDD and CODEO in 2015 at the Justice V.C.R.A.C. Crabbe Commission set up by the former EC Boss, Charlotte Osei, he said the Centre still stand by its suggestions.
“The CDD’s argument is simple; what will inform a new voters’ register? What shock absorbers will be put in place to ensure that after compiling a new voters’ register, we won’t be compiling a new one after just a year?” he sought to know.
According to him if they are able to conclude that the register is bloated and machines are obsolete then there will be a need for a new voters’ register.
“Whether we compile a new voters’ register or not what are the mechanisms to make sure a new one will withstand time, otherwise I don’t think there is a need for a new voters’ register," he added in an interview with Neat FM.
The credibility of the voters' register was pushed into the forefront of national political discussions by the then opposition NPP aided by pro-NPP pressure group Let My Vote Count Alliance.
Background
After some partisan pressure led by the then opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP), the Electoral Commission announced the setting up of the five-man panel on 23rd October 2015 to hold a two-day public hearing on the controversial Voters’ Register.
His Lordship Professor V.C.R.A.C. Crabbe chaired the committee that also included the Most Reverend Professor Emmanuel Asante; Dr. Grace Bediako, Dr. Nii Narku Quaynor; and Maulvi Bin Salih.
2 Parties, Former Presidential Candidate Support EC
Two political parties — the Progressive People’s Party (PPP) and the Liberal Party of Ghana (LPG) — and a former independent presidential candidate, Jacob Osei Yeboah (JOY), have backed the decision by the Electoral Commission (EC) to compile a new voters’ register.
The PPP said the EC could not be denied the appropriate tools it genuinely needed to do a credible job, while the LPG said peace was priceless, hence the need for Ghanaians to rally behind the EC to compile a new biometric voters register.
Mr Yeboah also called on all Ghanaians to support the acquisition of a biometric voter management system (BVMS) for the 2020 elections.
Listen to interview below
Source: King Edward Ambrose Washman Addo/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana
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Actually with a credible national identification system as we are doing, no need for voters register again. Let the NIA data become the Master data, interconnect all systems, so that the National ID becomes the only ID one needs for any transaction. Link EC, Passport Office, DVLA. Birth and Death's, Police data etc to the Master Data, so they can pull and generate data. When there are deaths or new births, through initiation from Births and deaths, the data can be updated or expunged as application. For elections one goes with his or her National ID, the finger prints will be already available from the pulled data, so the system will automatically pick the person. When someone gets 18 through a verification and updating system, the NIA data can be easily updated, and reflect on other systems. When people get new passports, the Paspport office picks the data, it should be linked to national ID so the system will pick it. In Kenya all transactions on the e citizen portal links to the National ID including tax, license etc.. This approach will save a lot of money and can be used to generate any kind of national registers be it for DVLA, Statistical Service, GRA, Births & Death, Passport etc.. That is how e-governance is made practical. Concerned Citizen
Which country in world can you have almost half of the population being eligible voters?. How can we call this credible voter register
WHO IS CDD, THEY SHOULD KEEP QUITE. THE REGISTER WILL BE CHANGE. CCD FOR WHERE. NONSIS
Ghanaians, ohhh daabi da!! The question is, what is the NATIONAL CARD for? We were told it will synchronize all our data into one centralize location accessible by all institutions who need it....So why spend that much for another voter's register without recourse to NIA? Secondly, these are systems, equipments and new technology to be used.....how sure are we that there will be enough time to test and try this so when party A or B losses, they will accept defeat without issues, considering how these 2 good for "shele33" parties have taken this 2020 as world cup? These systems or equipment after set up must be at least be used in some by elections to see its readiness so "asimasi or pul3l3" will confidently accept the results!!!
It's sickening hearing this from an institution that is supposed to be neutral. There are not many honest people in Ghana because most of them are politically biased. Everyone thinks about their stomach and not the country. How can changing a register to help hold a credible election be opposed? What kind of people are Ghanaians? Why can't most people think for themselves and put the country first for once? You have the so called Senior Journalist Kwesi Pratt acting like an ***barred word*** because of his stomach.
What has reality got to do with the show of appreciation to a personality? We are about to complete the NIA card which has our finger print and facial data. Cant we synchronize all these with the existing data?Why do you want 10 m+ Ghanaians to go back into the queues for something which can be handled otherwise
Gyimah Boadi your hatred for jean and the IEA is legendary u were a former employee you got the idea to set up CDD by from you time at the institute, stop the hate it wont help u, u have always opposed everything the EC has done since JM took over, half of your guys were trained at the institute when they got out of university, show appreciation
keep on saying that the ignorance elite in Ghana will one day spit Ghana into flames because they are all liars and deceitful. You put a competent character to manage our elections to produce fair, transparent and credible polls in 2020 and beyond and the same person has observed that after taking stocks of all the materials that can generate a credible results is to compile a new register .And characters in CDD who perhaps don't think or has been influence by their political ***barred word*** are throwing dust into Ghanaian s eyes . CDD, please parade all your children to go out and demonstrate to achieve your purpose not our children. CDD is another ***barred word*** entity in Ghanaian's political discourse
@Boakye Danquah, Kyebi Akim. In the first place that is not your name. You are such a coward and anfraid to even reveal your true identity yet you are issuing out threats. Just a simple compilation of a new voters register is leading you into make such gyimiiiiiiiii comment. If the Lord blesses you and you become owner of several properties in Ghana you will talk sense. You are one of those irresponsible people who have nothing to lose if this country become chaotic and thus have sold your conscience to any political party that it why you are talking that way. Gyimiiiiiiiii.
This is factually incorrect. The compilation of electoral register is not dependent on population census. It is rather the creation of constituencies and electoral areas that are dependent on population censuses. Why all these intellectual bankruptcies. God save Ghana from these necromancers