HELP MAKE REGISTRATION EXERCISE SUCCESSFUL — EC (PAGE 14, JUNE 8, 2010)

THE Upper West regional directorate of the Electoral Commission (EC) has cautioned that the pending voters registration exercise scheduled for Friday, June 11 to Saturday June, 20, 2010, could suffer from inadequate publicity.
With the World Cup expected to dominate the period, the directorate called on all stakeholders to intensify the publicity on the registration exercise and assist in the dissemination of information.
The exercise is meant to register qualified Ghanaians who have attained the voting age of 18 years since the last registration of voters in 2008 and Ghanaians who are older but could not register in previous exercises.
Addressing a sensitisation forum in Wa, the Upper West Regional Director of the EC, Mr. Yahaya Mahama, also advised all to learn and adhere to the rules.
He said the registration would be done at designated registration centres in each electoral area throughout the region from 7am to 6pm each day of the registration period, including Saturdays and Sundays.
“Applicants for registration must appear in person at the registration centre in the electoral areas where they reside to provide information regarding their ages, house numbers, hometowns and names of their parents, living or dead”, he added.
Mr. Mahama reminded the public that it was an offence for anybody whose name was already on the voter’s register to register again.
He further said it was also an offence for a person to register or attempt to register if theyare not 18 years.
“A person who registers or attempts to register knowing that he or she does not qualify shall on summary conviction be jailed”, he warned
He advised voters who had lost their voter ID cards to report the loss to registration officers at the registration centres in the electoral area during the registration period or the district electoral officer of the commission at least a month before elections for replacement, adding that registered voters who had moved from the area where they registered would be given the opportunity to transfer their votes at the appropriate time.
Mr Mahama hoped all stakeholders would cooperate with the EC to make the exercise a success.