64.9% of Ghanaians support a new voters’ register, 35.1% say no – UG Research

According to a research by the University of Ghana, some 64.9 percent of Ghanaians are said to want a new voter’s register compiled, with 35.1 percent opting for a no compilation ahead of the December 2020 polls.

The findings revealed that 17,843 persons said yes to a new register with 9,654 saying no to the compilation.

The survey, which was conducted by the Political Science Department of the University from November 5, 2019, to December 5, 2019, asked some 27,500 respondents if; "The Electoral Commission intends to compile a new voters’ register. Do you agree?."

Dr. Issac Owusu Mensah a research fellow at the Political Science Department of the university explained that the majority of respondents from all the 16 regions answered in the affirmative.

"We realised that about 64.9 percent of Ghanaians say they support the Electoral Commission to come out with a new voters’ register and most respondents believe a new register will ensure credibility of the election results"

"Those who were not in support of the Electoral Commission's (EC) decision to compile a new register indicated that ‘it would be a waste of resources and will allow foreigners to come and register amongst others reasons'"

Dr. Mensah adds, the respondents who were against the compilation of a new register said the current register was ‘solid and good enough’.

On the other hand, the Electoral Commission says it believes the integrity of the 2020 polls could be diluted if a new register was not compiled.

The EC is also of the view that a new Biometric Voter Management System is set in place to commence the compilation of the new register.

The Deputy Chairperson in charge of Operations at the EC, Mr Samuel Tettey, has earlier disclosed that the compilation of a new voters register for the 2020 elections will begin on April 18, this year.

Mr. Tettey told the Daily Graphic in an interview that the commission has also expressed the hope that it will complete the exercise by May 30, 2020 and intends to mount a voters’ register exhibition from August 15 to August 28, 2020.

Meanwhile, the main opposition party, National Democratic Congress (NDC) along with other smaller parties, have joined forces to be known as ‘Inter-Party Resistance’ against the New Voter Register have embarked on three demonstrations to protest the compilation of the new voters’ register by the Electoral Commission.