DECISION TAKEN AT IPAC

The Inter Party Advisory Committee ( (IPAC) has finally come out with it's decision with regards the electoral commission new voter register's brohaaha.

COMMENCEMENT AND PERIOD OF THE REGISTRATION EXERCISE

The Commission has slated the registration exercise to begin from the last week of June to the end of July 2020. The Exercise will start each day from 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
It will take place at all the 33,367 polling stations, which will serve as registration centres nationwide.

  METHODOLOGY FOR THE REGISTRATION EXERCISE
 The cluster system of Registration will be used during the upcoming exercise. It will be done simultaneously in all the districts/constituencies nationwide with each cluster consisting of five (5) registration centres. In all, there will be five (5) phases during the registration period with each Registration Team working for a period of six (6) days in each phase within the cluster. However, a day is set aside to assemble and prepare the materials for the next phase.

 MOVEMENT PLAN
Information on the movement plan of the Registration Teams will be communicated to all stakeholders.

 CRITERIA FOR ELIGIBILITY
An applicant must be;
a) A Ghanaian Citizen
b) 18 years of age or older
c) Of sound mind
d) Resident or Ordinarily resident in an electoral area
e) Persons not prohibited by any law in force from registering as a voter

 ISSUANCE OF VOTER ID CARDS
All eligible voters will be given instant voter ID cards when they register, except in cases where applications have been challenged.

REGISTRATION KITS
Each District will be allocated a number of BVR Kits depending on the number of clusters it has in order to perform its functions satisfactorily.

MOPPING-UP
The Commission will use three (3) days for a mopping-up exercise which will be done at the end of the main Registration Exercise. This exercise is meant for eligible applicants who could not be captured during the main Registration Exercise. 

PILOTING
There will be a pilot exercise at different locations in all 16 regions as well as at the national level at the EC’s Head office in Accra. The exercise is aimed at identifying possible problems associated with the new system and find ways of mitigating them. It will also help to study and ascertain the environmental impact on the VMS in respect to the weather (wet, dry, heat, and rust) conditions amongst others.

MEASURES TO CURB THE SPREAD OF COVID-19
The Commission will put in safety measures at each registration centre to ensure the safety of all applicants and registration officials during the exercise.

PROOF OF ELIGIBILITY
Any one of the following documents can be presented at the Registration centre by an applicant to prove his/her eligibility:

1. A Passport
2. Ghana Card
3. In the absence of the two documents above, an applicant will need TWO (2) GUARANTORS who are registered voters to guarantee his/her application for registration.

 It must be noted that a guarantor can guarantee for up to 10 applicants.
Agents of political parties are to refrain from physically preventing suspected unqualified applicants from registering but should rather resort to the challenge mechanism.

 LOGISTICS
All materials needed for the registration exercise have been procured. 

 SECURITY
The Commission has written to the Police for assistance to protect the Registration materials and other properties of the Commission before, during and after the exercise.
The Commission is calling on all stakeholders to co-operate with it to make the compilation of the New Voters Register a success.

D BY : MRS. SYLVIA ANNOH
AG. DIECTOR of PUBLIC AFFAIRS

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