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The president of the Electoral Commission (EC) said on Friday that a total of 74,800 biometric verification devices (BVDs) have been prepared and distributed to districts across the country for the December 7 elections.
Mrs. Jean Mensa stated that the improved features of the devices would speed up the verification process and ensure that only people whose biometric details were captured in our system vote on Election Day.
Ms Mensa, who was briefing members of the State Council on the Commission’s preparation for the elections, said the devices had records of both fingerprints and facial features for each unique individual.
“As a result, in the event that a person has lost the use of their fingers, the facial recognition function will be used to identify the voter. We are confident that the use of both functions will go a long way towards improving the integrity of the surveys, ”he said.
Ms Mensa said that all print jobs at seven printers in Accra, namely Buck Press Limited, Assembly Press, Fonstat Limited, Innolink, Yasarko Limited, Checkpoint Limited and Acts Commercial Limited are expected to be completed soon.
He pointed out that to ensure transparency, the agents of the Political Parties and the Security Agencies were monitoring the processes in all the Printers.
He already said it as part of ensuring transparency, the electronic copy of the registry, which includes multiple lists and power of attorney to ensure that transparency has been made available to political parties.
The EC chairman said that the Commission had hired 233,632 temporary officials made up of recurring officials and their deputies, presiding officials, verification officials, name reference officials, and Covid-19 ambassadors for the December 2020 elections.
Ms. Mensa explained that a comprehensive training program has been developed for each category of officials and would be equipped with the necessary skills to enable them to perform excellently on Election Day.
Mensa said that the Commission had acquired a wide variety of electoral materials, including ballot boxes, fingerprint pads, office supplies, identification jackets, voting booths, rechargeable lamps, indelible ink, educational posters, stamps, among others.
Ms. Mensa said that the Commission had purchased 74,800 new biometric verification devices and was preparing for the elections.
He said the Commission had prepared a new biometric voter registry with a total voter population of 17,029,971.
“We are confident in the credibility and integrity of the 2020 Voter Registry and are pleased with the collaboration and cooperation of citizens at all levels, particularly at the district level, as well as magistrates, to ensure that only eligible Ghanaians participate in the process, “she said.
It noted that 32,621 people had been included in the list of multiples and exceptions and that another 18,619 people participated in multiple registrations, 14,002 participated in various illegal practices, including voting by minors and voting by non-Ghanaians.
Nana Otuo Siriboe II, the President of the State Council praised the Commission for implementing the correct processes, Covid-19 protocols and verification measures that allowed the compilation of a new and credible Voter Registry in a record time of 38 days. .
He commended the Commission for instituting ‘Let the Citizen Know Series’, the biweekly briefing that seeks to educate the public and address their concerns.
Nana Siriboe II, who is also the supreme head of the traditional Asante-Juaben area, urged the EC not to rest on its oars, especially as the electoral period approaches.
