The Electoral Commission (EC) of Ghana will conduct the Special Voting exercise today, Monday, December 2, 2024, across 14 regions, excluding the Eastern and Western Regions.
This exercise is crucial for allowing security personnel, media practitioners, and election officials, who will be on duty during the December 7 polls, to cast their votes early.
Approximately 131,478 voters, or 0.007% of the total registered electorate of 18,741,159, are expected to participate in the Special Voting.
The Eastern and Western Regions have been excluded from today’s exercise due to a reported breach of security seals on ballot papers, prompting the EC to recall and reprint them.
Special Voting in these regions will take place on Thursday, December 5, to ensure election integrity.
EC Chairperson Jean Mensa assured the public that the voting process would be smooth and credible in the 14 regions. She emphasized the Commission’s commitment to maintaining transparency and addressing any concerns.
Eligible voters participating in the Special Voting are reminded to present valid identification, and the exercise will run from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. at designated polling centers.
Votes cast will not be counted on the day but will be tallied on December 7 during the main election results collation.
The Returning Officer at each Constituency Collation Centre will document these results separately on both the Presidential and Parliamentary Election Results Collation Forms before merging them with the final counts from all polling stations.
Security has been heightened to ensure a peaceful process, with the National Election Security Taskforce overseeing operations at polling stations.
Meanwhile, political parties have deployed their agents to monitor the exercise and ensure fairness. Observers from various organizations are also expected to be present to ensure transparency.
The EC has appealed for calm and cooperation from all stakeholders, emphasizing that these measures are part of efforts to deliver a free, fair, and credible election.
