Guarantor system in voter registration must be abolished – Deputy Electoral Commissioner

A Deputy Electoral Commissioner, Samuel Tetteh has advocated for the abolishment of the guarantor system used in the voter registration exercise in Ghana.

The guarantor system, which requires a person to provide family members or opinion leaders in a community to vouch for their eligibility during voter registration, has been used by the Electoral Commission since the beginning of the 4th Republic.

However, according to Samuel Tetteh, who is in charge of operations at the Electoral Commission, the guarantor system has outlived its usefulness and should be abolished.

The Deputy Electoral Commissioner in charge of Operations, Mr. Samuel Tettey, stated that South Africa, Rwanda, Senegal, and Kenya have already abolished the guarantor system, and Ghana will soon follow suit.

“South Africa, Senegal, Kenya, and Rwanda do not use the guarantor system as evidence of identification. If indeed we are committed to strengthening our electoral process, then the guarantor system must be abolished sooner than later,” he said on Rainbow Radio.

He further cautioned people who have been abusing the guarantor system that the Commission will start exposing and prosecuting them.

“The Commission wishes to inform the general public that guarantors who break the law and perpetuate the act of guaranteeing will not go unpunished. Their names will be published in the national papers and will be brought to book.”