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Shama police in the western region arrested a young man for taking photos of his ballot in the Shama District Assembly concourse, voting station B.
The still unidentified young man is currently in police custody pending an investigation.
He is the third to be arrested in this election period, after two voters were arrested in the Krowor constituency for taking photographs of their ballots after voting.
Election Commission (EC) Director of Elections, Dr. Serebour Quaicoe, had previously warned that it is illegal for people to take pictures of their votes at the polls.
Dr. Quaicoe, in a press release, called for prison sentences for arrested voters who take photos of their ballots, to serve as an additional deterrent for others.
“The law specifically states that the election of the vote must be done in secret, so the moment fingerprints or ballot snapshots are taken, the law is broken. We cannot take the law into our own hands. That is indiscipline, ”he said.
However, private attorney Samson Lardy Anyenini claims the arrests lack constitutional backing.
According to him, the laws governing electoral procedures in the country do not criminalize personal disclosure of a voter’s choice.
“There is no crime against a person who decides to renounce his right to vote in secret. Rather, it is the EC officials who can commit a crime when they do not protect the right of the voter ”.
