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The Electoral Commission (EC) of Ghana will conduct a Special Voting exercise today, Monday, December 2, across 14 of the country’s 16 regions. This arrangement excludes the Eastern and Western Regions, where the exercise has been rescheduled due to security concerns.
The Special Voting process allows key groups such as security personnel, media practitioners, and election officials, who will be on duty during the December 7 general elections, to cast their votes ahead of the main polls.
According to the EC, approximately 131,478 voters, representing 0.007% of the total registered electorate of 18,741,159, are expected to participate in today’s exercise.
Rescheduling in Two Regions
The EC decided to recall and reprint ballot papers for the Eastern and Western Regions following reports of a breach in security seals. To maintain the integrity of the process, Special Voting in these regions has been rescheduled for Thursday, December 5.
Assurances from the EC
Jean Mensa, the Chairperson of the Electoral Commission, has assured the public of a smooth and credible process in the 14 regions conducting the exercise today. “We remain committed to addressing all concerns to uphold the credibility of the elections,” she stated.
Eligible voters participating in Special Voting are urged to follow established guidelines, including presenting valid identification to polling officials. Voting will take place between 7 a.m. and 5 p.m. at designated polling centers.
Vote Counting and Security Measures
Votes cast during the Special Voting exercise will not be counted immediately. Instead, they will be securely stored and tallied on December 7 at the Constituency Collation Centres. The results will then be integrated with the overall election results from the main polls.
Returning Officers at each Constituency Collation Centre will document these votes separately on Presidential and Parliamentary Election Results Collation Forms before merging them with the final counts from other polling stations.
To ensure a peaceful and orderly process, the National Election Security Taskforce has been deployed to oversee operations at polling stations.
Stakeholder Monitoring
Political parties have stationed their agents to observe the process and ensure fairness. Observers from various organizations are also expected to monitor proceedings to enhance transparency.
The EC has called for calm and cooperation from all stakeholders, emphasizing that these measures are part of broader efforts to deliver a free, fair, and credible election.
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