Exhibition of Voters' Register begins

Accra, July 10, GNA - The seven-day exhibition of the Voters' Register began throughout the country on Monday to enable registered voters to crosscheck their details and where necessary ask 0fficials to effect corrections.
The Electoral Commission (EC) is exhibiting of the Provisional Voters Register between Monday, July 10 and Sunday, July 16 at 5,000 designated electoral registration centres. The exhibition would be from 0700 hours to 1800 hours daily.
During its rounds of exhibition centres in the Accra Metropolis, Exhibition Officers told the GNA that the patronage was low and appealed to the EC to intensify its public education.
The GNA observed that there were cases of missing identity cards; wrong spelling of names and duplication of photographs on the register as some of the problems encountered on the first day of the exercise. Some of the constituencies visited included Ayawaso East; Ayawaso West; Ayawaso Central, Odododiodio and Klottey Korley. Mr Albert Kofi Arhin, EC Director of Elections; told the GNA that the EC had identified potential exhibition problems and had accordingly put in place measures to ensure that no registered voter was disenfranchised.
He said the Exhibition Officers were trained to undertake immediate minor corrections at the centres, which would be captured in the final data.
He explained that the exhibition exercise was to offer potential registered voters the opportunity to ascertain whether the particulars on their voters' ID cards corresponded to the details in the register. The voters could also use the exhibition exercise to make claims for correction of any error in their particulars. Those whose names had been omitted could make claims for their names to be included in the register, by showing evidence of their registration, Mr Arhin stated.
The exhibition would also afford people the opportunity to challenge the inclusion of the name of any person if they had valid reasons to believe that he or she was not qualified to register as a voter.
It would also offer political parties the opportunity to undertake public inspection of the list.
The Register would be exhibited at the 5,000 centres where the recent registration took place for voters to make sure that their names were on the roll. Mr Arhin urged all to exercise restraint and assist Exhibition Officers to correct any lapses that might have occurred during the recent voter revision exercise, monitor and make sure that names of under-aged registered voters and dead ones were removed. He said the main activities at the exhibition centres would include corrections of names and other personal data. Registered voters whose names did not appear on the voters' register must request for their inclusion.
The EC said the exhibition process was meant to create a credible and dependable register that would form the basis for the acceptance of election results and prevent disharmony in the social and political affairs of Ghana.
Arrangements had also been made for applicants, whose registration data were captured in the registration of voters in 2004 and the revision of the voters' register in 2006 but had not taken their photographs to have their pictures taken and be issued with voter ID cards.