In a move to ensure the integrity of Ghana’s upcoming elections, the Electoral Commission (EC) has announced plans to destroy faulty ballot papers meant for the Volta and Ahafo regions.
This decision follows the discovery of discrepancies in the serialization of the ballot papers, which prompted the EC to reprint the ballots for these regions.
The announcement was made during an Inter-Party Advisory Committee (IPAC) meeting on Friday, November 15, where Samuel Tettey, Deputy Commissioner in charge of Operations, revealed that the printed ballot papers would be recalled and disposed of due to errors in the serial numbers.
The EC has assured that representatives from various political parties will witness the destruction of the faulty ballot papers, and a Destruction Certificate will be issued and signed by the observers.
Background of the Issue
The EC had implemented an automated system to ensure precise serial numbers on the ballot papers.
However, deficiencies in the system led the Printing House to adopt a manual process, which ultimately proved unreliable.
Upon further assessment, the Commission decided that the manual system was not foolproof and couldn’t be relied upon to produce accurate serialization.
Reprinting and Destruction Process
The reprinting of the ballot papers for Ahafo and Volta Regions will be undertaken by Buck Press and Acts Commercials, respectively.
The affected ballot papers will be shredded and incinerated, with agents from political parties witnessing the destruction.
This transparent process aims to maintain the trust and credibility of the electoral process.
Source: www.dailyguidenetwork.com
