By Edward Acquah
Accra, Dec. 2, GNA – The Electoral Commission (EC) of Ghana will conduct the nationwide Special Voting exercise today, ahead of the main election on Saturday, December 7, 2024.
The exercise was initially scheduled to take place across 328 centers nationwide, but it has been rescheduled for voters in the Western and Eastern regions following the recall of ballots for the two regions.
As a result, the Special Voting exercise in the Western and Eastern Regions has been postponed to Thursday, December 5, 2024.
The Special Voting exercise allows eligible voters involved in election-related duties, including election officials, security personnel, and media practitioners, to cast their ballots early.
A total of 131,478 voters, representing 0.007 per cent of the total registered voter population of 18,741,159, are expected to participate in the Special Voting exercise.
The exercise will begin at 0700 hours and end at 1700 hours.
The EC has confirmed that all election materials, except those for the Western and Eastern Regions, have been deployed to the centers and the commission is fully prepared for the exercise.
“We are ready to conduct transparent, credible and peaceful elections,” Mrs. Jean Mensa, Chairperson, EC told journalists last Friday.
However, Mrs. Mensa clarified that security personnel and journalists who did not apply for the Special Voting will not be eligible to vote on December 2 but can participate in the main election on December 7.
She said votes cast during the Special Voting will not be counted on the day of the exercise.
Instead, they will be counted on December 7 at the Constituency Collation Centres and added to the results from the main election.
The Returning Officer at each Constituency Collation Centre will record these results separately on both the Presidential and Parliamentary Election Results Collation Forms, before including them in the final tally from all polling stations.
To ensure security, all ballot boxes will be sealed and stored in a secured room at a Police Station within each constituency.
The EC has also directed that Presiding Officers do not count the ballots cast during the Special Voting on that day.
The National Elections Security Taskforce, chaired by Dr. George Akuffo Dampare, the Inspector-General of Police, has reassured the public of its readiness to provide maximum security to ensure the peaceful and safe conduct of the elections.
Ghana’s general elections for President and 276 Members of Parliament will take place on Saturday, December 7, 2024.
GNA