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The 2016 general election begins today with special early voting at 284 centres across the country.
 
A total of 127,394 people drawn from the security services, the media and the Electoral Commission (EC) are expected to cast their votes during the special nationwide exercise.

The special voting has become necessary because the people who will be involved in the exercise will be required to work  on December 7.       

Breakdown of centres

According to the Director of Communications of the Electoral Commission (EC), Mr Eric Kofi Dzakpasu, the number of people on the special voters list had increased from 114,813 to 127,394 as a result of the involvement of police recruits and the temporary staff of the EC.

A breakdown of the polling centres for the regions is as follows: Ashanti, 47 centres; Brong Ahafo, 28; Central, 20; Eastern, 33; Greater Accra, 38; Upper East, 15; Upper West,11; Volta, 26; Western, 26, and Northern, 18 centres.

Ablekuma West

The incumbent Member of Parliament for Ablekuma West, Mrs Ursula Owusu-Ekuful is accusing the EC of introducing 93 fake names into the constituency register for the special voting exercise.
 
Ursula, who came to the center with some piled sheets of paper in hand claimed that her office received three different registers prior to the special voting exercise today.

"The first was full of mistakes, and the last one is no exception," she added.

She further explained that, "We received the last list just last night, which we made out 93 names which are not in the constituency register of the Ablekuma West Constituency.”

The outspoken lawyer also said she could count young voters aged 18, 19 and 20 years in the register who were listed as EC election staff.

She found the act fraudulent since some senior EC election staff who came to the centre, had their names omitted.

The EC presiding officer at the venue Frank Agyei acknowledged receiving a list of the names being alleged to be fraudulent by Ursula and explained that he would verify the claims.