The Special Voting exercise ahead of the December 7, general elections has starts today, December 2, 2024, at designated centers across 14 regions of Ghana with the exception of the eastern and Western region.
Eligible citizens participating in the special voting exercise includes security officers, media practitioners, and election officials.
A total of 131,478 voters, representing 0.007% of the country’s 18,741,159 registered electorate, are expected to participate in this critical pre-election process.
Qualified voters for the special voting in the Eastern and Western Regions are not participating in today’s exercise due to reported breaches of security seals and defaced ballot papers. The Electoral Commission (EC) has however rescheduled the exercise in these regions for Thursday, December 5, to ensure the integrity of the electoral process.
Chairperson of the Electoral Commission, Jean Mensa at a press briefing on Sunday, December 1, 2024, assured the public of a smooth and credible process in the 14 participating regions.
She reiterated the Commission’s commitment to transparency and urged voters to adhere to guidelines, including presenting valid identification at polling centers.
Voting will run from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., with heightened security overseen by the National Election Security Taskforce. Political parties have deployed agents to monitor the process, while observers from various organizations will ensure transparency.
Votes cast during the Special Voting will not be counted immediately. Instead, they will be tallied on December 7 at Constituency Collation Centres and merged with results from the main election.
The Returning Officer at each center will document these results separately before incorporating them into the final counts.
The EC has appealed for calm and cooperation from all stakeholders, emphasizing that these measures are part of efforts to deliver a free, fair, and credible election.
