Politics of Wednesday, 21 March 2012

Source: GNA

Media urged to assist educate the public on biometric voter registration

The Electoral Commission (EC) has urged the media to help educate and whip up the enthusiasm of voters in the upcoming biometric voter registration exercise.

Mr Samuel Tettey, the Ashanti Regional Director of the Commission, said the people must be assisted to attach more importance to the exercise to ensure its success.

He said this during a day’s workshop on biometric registration organized by the EC for over 60 selected journalists, representatives of civil society organizations (CSOs) and the physically challenged in Kumasi

The workshop was meant to aid the participants to gain a better understanding of the registration process in order to properly explain this in their interactions with others.

Mr Tettey said the exercise was only for Ghanaians, aged 18 years and above and resident in a particular area where one wants to register.

He said applicants should carry to the registration centres any of the following - passport, national identification card, current voter identification card, driving license or national insurance scheme card to help in the data collection.

He said the centres would be grouped into clusters and gave the assurance that all eligible voters would be covered adding that there should therefore be no cause for eligible voters to rush.

Mr Tettey cautioned against multiple-registration and said offenders would be made to face the full rigorous of the law.**