The National Democratic Congress (NDC) is dissatisfied with the Electoral Commission’s stance and is calling for a forensic audit of the voter register. The NDC’s demand for urgent auditing underscores the need for updating the register, which the Commission has acknowledged is still provisional and requires further work.
Dr. Rashid Tanko, Deputy Director of Elections in charge of IT, expressed these views on the Adekyee Mu Nsem morning show on Ahotor 92.3 FM, hosted by Citizen Kofi Owusu in Accra. He emphasized the importance of the NDC’s position, stating that it is widely accepted that the Electoral Commission should allow auditing of the register, particularly given its current provisional status.
Dr. Tanko outlined several reasons why auditing the voter register is crucial:
Integrity of the Electoral Process: An accurate voter register ensures that only eligible voters participate in elections, fostering public trust in the process.
Error Detection: Audits can reveal issues such as duplicate entries and outdated information, maintaining a reliable voter list.
Fraud Prevention: Regular audits can deter voter fraud by scrutinizing and verifying the register, making it difficult for ineligible individuals to vote.
Improved Accessibility: Audits can identify barriers to voter registration, allowing for improvements that ensure all eligible citizens can exercise their right to vote.
Accountability: Auditing provides a mechanism for accountability among electoral officials, ensuring compliance with voter registration laws and regulations.
Public Confidence: Regularly audited and accurate voter registers enhance public confidence in the electoral system, encouraging higher voter turnout.
Data Security: Auditing helps protect personal information and prevents the voter register from being vulnerable to tampering or cyber threats.
Overall, regular audits of the voter register are essential for fostering a fair, transparent, and trustworthy electoral process.
In another development, the NDC has urged the Electoral Commission to conduct a comprehensive multi-stakeholder and interparty assessment of its information technology (IT) system. This request aims to ensure transparency and integrity in the electoral process ahead of the upcoming elections.
Following an Inter-Party Advisory Committee (IPAC) meeting on Tuesday, the NDC issued a statement recommending that the re-exhibition exercise—designed to verify voter registration details—be conducted using both online and offline methods at designated exhibition centers. The Functional Executive Committee (FEC) welcomed the Commission’s decision to re-exhibit the updated Provisional Voters’ Register but stressed the importance of utilizing both approaches.
Additionally, the NDC is calling for a multi-stakeholder and interparty examination of the Electoral Commission’s IT system. The aim is to address the vulnerabilities acknowledged by the Commission, which have contributed to various anomalies. The statement highlighted concerns that these vulnerabilities could be exploited by criminals to compromise the integrity of the elections scheduled for December 7, 2024.
NDC Position on Matters Arising from IPAC, Relative to the 2024 Provisional Voters’ Register:
Following the Special Inter-Party Advisory Committee (IPAC) Meeting on October 1, 2024, the FEC of the NDC reaffirms several significant admissions by the Electoral Commission of Ghana:
Illegal transfer of voters due to the absence of liveliness test technology, as seen in Pusiga and other constituencies.
Erroneous addition of previous transfers to the current 2024 transfer list.
Presence of corrupted files in the 2024 Provisional Voters’ Register, which the Commission claims have been rectified.
Deleted voters that the Commission intends to place on a Missing Voters register.
A vulnerable IT system within the Electoral Commission that is susceptible to data manipulation and unauthorized access.
In light of these issues, the FEC has agreed to accept the Commission’s promise to provide political parties with the corrected and updated version of the 2024 Provisional Voters Register for scrutiny within one week.
The FEC reiterated its call for a multi-stakeholder examination of the Electoral Commission’s IT system to address these vulnerabilities and prevent potential exploitation that could undermine the integrity of the upcoming elections.
SIGNED.
FIFI FIAVI KWETEY
GENERAL SECRETARY
Story By: Alexander Kukah
