Compilation of final voters’ register is a process; not an event – EC

 

The Electoral Commission (EC) has clarified that the compilation of the final voters’ register is a complete process that must be allowed to go through the required steps. It is not a one-off event.

According to the Commission, the process does not happen overnight but takes time from the completion of the registration exercise until the final voter register is produced.

“..The conduction of the final voter register is a process, it is not a one-time event,” the Chairperson of the Commission, Mrs Jean Mensa, explained during the Inter-Party Advisory Committee (IPAC) meeting on Tuesday, October 1.

“Right after the registration exercise, we institute the District Registration Review Committees, which sit in all districts to hear challenged cases presented by the citizenry. And we have the political parties, traditional authorities, and security agencies as part of this committee,” she said.

Following this, Madam Mensa said the process moves to adjudication, where political parties work with the EC IT team to determine whether individuals have engaged in multiple registrations.

“Here again, we have representatives of the political parties who work with the Commission to establish the rules and to take the decisions concerning these persons.”

Furthermore, she said the EC holds an exhibition of the provisional register, which allows for an inspection and correction of discrepancies.

Afterwards, the EC Chairperson said the Commission has a sitting of District Registration Review Officers— who are magistrates appointed by the Chief Justice to every district to hear and rule on cases, including objections to individuals on the voters’ register.

“It is followed by the review and authentication of the magistrates appointed in each of the districts. Following their reviews and rulings of each of the cases, our district officers then implement the decisions of the magistrates.

“It is followed by a verification of the implementation of these decisions by our regional directorates headed by our regional directors. Following that, we at the head office compose a team made up of IT and electoral services who then verify that all the decisions and recommendations provided have been fully implemented. It is after this stage that the voter register is produced,” Jean Mensah added.

On the back of this, Madam Mensa noted that the EC’s district officers are currently implementing the magistrates’ decisions, and this will be followed by verification and an audit of the provisional register by regional and headquarters teams.

However, she stressed that since these steps have not been completed, calls for a forensic audit of the register are “premature.”