MASS VOTER REGISTRATION AND CHALLENGES ; PHASE ONE , DAY ONE.

The mass voter registration exercise which had been embattled for over three (3) months began today 30th June , 2020, as the Supreme Court gave the green light.

The exercise takes place across the entire length and breadth of the country , beginning from Tuesday 30th June to Thursday August 6 , 2020.

The exercise is scheduled to include Saturdays and Sundays and has been divided into five phases , each phase takes six (6) days. Phase 1 starting on the first day. Each polling centre taking six (6) days to complete.

The parties who battled the EC petitioned the Supreme Court on the activities of the Commission , citing numerous reasons based on their findings in the constitution and the situation the country found it self ; amidst the corona virus pandemic. To them , the current situation of the corono virus pose a threat as people converge to register .

Security experts and analysts have also raised alarm on the consequences and impacts these exercise will bring as Ghana’s corona virus cases keep rising every now and then.

But the fortune of the exercise was later decided in the Supreme Court where those parties proporsals were unanimously dismissed by the Court. The Court said the EC has the Constitutional mandates to carry on their supposed activities as nothing stops them and re – affirming the approval by Parliament on the CI 126 the EC presented.

Touring across the various polling centres revails that the safesty and preventive measures are hardly observed , more especially the mask wearing and the social distancing protocols.

Considering the huge number that converge at a particular centre makes it difficult for electoral officials and the security to control and manage, posing much threat to registrants and the EC officials as that avenue becomes an easy transmission point to contract the virus.

Reacting to these challenges, all the EC officials contacted and reached admitted those causalities and said going forward they will see a change and different ball game all together as the exercise has just began. The day one had made them known their shortcomings, as they assured Ghanaians to tighten protocols and no cause for alarm.

They finally urged all Ghanaians especially the prospective and eligible voters to come out and partake in the exercise as it is their constitutional right.

Filed by : Kobina Nyamekye