News:
April 13, 2016
Chairman of the Subsidiary Legislative Committee of Parliament, Osei Bonsu Amoah, has allayed fears that registered voters who do not submit themselves for validation will have their names removed from the voters’ register.
He said although one will not be able to cast his or vote during the election, it does not mean that the name of the registered voter will permanently be deleted from the electoral album.
“If you are not validated, it doesn’t mean that your name will be removed from the voters’ register. What it means is that you cannot cast your vote during the election”.
“Under the CI 91 if you register 60 days before the elections you cannot vote – so why are not saying that we are infringing on the rights of those who will register during that time?”, he asked while interacting with Fiifi Banson on Anopa Kasapa on Kasapa 102.3 FM, Tuesday.
Validation is the process a registered voter goes through to confirm his or her name in a voters’ register prior to an election. After the exercise, the list of the confirmed registered voters are migrated onto a new voters’ register for use during the election. When one fails to validate his or name, it means that that person’s name will not be captured in the new electoral album that would be used for conducting the said election, and thereby, will not be able to exercise his or her franchise.
Mr. Amoah who is also the MP for Akwapem South further told Banson that validation allows for a clean voters’ register in that it gives way for only validated registered persons to cast their vote during an election.
However, the names of those who could not submit themselves for validation would still be contained in the old electoral album for use in subsequent elections.
The Akuapem South legislator’s comments was in sharp response to claims by the Director of Elections of the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC), Samuel Ofosu Ampofo that validation when introduced will disenfranchise some registered voters, especially, those who have traveled far from the homes and would be returning to cast their votes in the upcoming general elections.
That aside Mr. Ampofo said the country does not have any legal regime to back the validation exercise the NPP and some Civil Society Organisations have been advocating for and therefore would not be necessary to buy into that idea.
Mr. Amoah who is also a representative of the NPP at the Inter Party Advisory Committee (IPAC) commenting further told Banson that the Electoral Commission of Ghana has proposed that during the exhibition of the voters’ register, “registered voters who will go and cross-check their names will have their fingerprints put on a device to ascertain whether you are truly the one who have been captured in the electoral album”.
To him, the moment one submit himself or herself to that process, it means he or her is being validated and therefore there should be a legal regime to back it.