[ 2016-12-05 ]

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 - Joyfm

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