2nd Round Of Special Voting Ends With Frustration, Anger

The second round of Special Voting ended with frustration and anger as members of security agencies, journalists and some polling officers could still not cast their ballot. The names of thousands of these eligible voters could not find their names in the voters register despite assurances by the Electoral Commission. About 34,000 individuals were expected to vote in a mop-up exercise following hitches that characterised the December 1 special voting. Hundreds of eligible voters could not find their names in the special voters register compelling the EC to extend the exercise. In the Central region, Joy News correspondent, Richard Kojo Nyarko reports that some security personnel who could still not find their names in the voters register could not hold back their anger. “It generated into some heated exchanges between some of the security personnel and the polling agents.” The situation was no different at the Adentan Constituency and the Burma Camp where military personnel could also not find their names in the register. In the Ejisu constituency in the Ashanti region, the situation was no different. But the scarier incident occurred in Tamale where a security officer who could not find his name, threw away chairs in anger. The chance to participate in the elections is crucial, because for many of these individuals whose rights to vote is on the brink, casting their ballot is a critical national assignment. “If there is another chance for me, I will vote, because if I don’t vote it will worry me a lot. I wanted to vote for my country because I love my country and what is going on and what I am seeing, if I don’t vote and my party loses, it will pain me a lot,” one security officer who spoke to Joy News said. Another who could not vote said, “I feel sad because I am a citizen of Ghana and I have the right to vote. If my daughter or son dies, it will not pain me like this.” For now, hundreds, if not thousands, of eligible voters, including Peace FM’s Kwami Sefa Kayi who were billed to make a second attempt at voting, stand the danger of losing the right to vote this year. “My name has vanished,” Sefa Kayi told Joy News’ Francis Abban yesterday. This is the first time in the country’s history that a Special Voting process has been held twice Meanwhile, it is not clear yet whether those who submitted their names for early voting but could not vote would be allowed to vote on election day because the Electoral Commission says special voters who missed the opportunity to cast their ballot in the extended exercise yesterday will have their names deactivated from the commission’s voter’s list. Deputy Head of Communications at the EC Yusif Ayuba says the EC is not to blame. “…they cannot vote on December 7 because they will be absent voters in their original polling stations in which they are registered.”

Source: myjoyonline