The Electoral Commission of Ghana has destroyed nearly 20,000 presidential and parliamentary ballot papers in preparation for the upcoming elections on December 7. This decision follows the discovery of issues with the serial numbers on the ballot papers from the Ahafo and Volta regions.
In a statement, the commission explained that an audit during the printing process revealed problems at the printing house responsible for these regions. Samuel Tettey, the Deputy Chairman in charge of operations, stated, “After identifying the issue, we decided to manually fill in the gaps in the serial numbers; however, this method is not reliable, so we chose to reprint the ballot papers instead.”
The commission confirmed that the defective papers would be destroyed as they are being reprinted.
The opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) has been vocal about their concerns regarding the electoral process, urging the commission to ensure transparency. They have raised issues about potential inaccuracies in the voters' register, claiming that there are "ghost" voters and that some voters have been transferred without their consent.
On November 21, the Electoral Commission transported over 330 bags of ballots to Nsawam in the Eastern Region for incineration. Oga Asante Kissi, the Deputy Director of Electoral Services, emphasized that the process was conducted publicly to maintain transparency and integrity. Representatives from various political parties, as well as law enforcement and national security, witnessed the destruction.
Political agents signed a destruction certificate before the papers were set ablaze. George Nkrumah from the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) confirmed the integrity of the process, while NDC agent Senam Nyamdi assured that they would continue to monitor the commission closely until election day.
**Details of the Burned Ballot Papers:**
- **Volta Region:**
- Presidential: 184 bags
- Parliamentary: 66 bags
- **Ahafo Region:**
- Presidential: 67 bags
- Parliamentary: 21 bags
**Breakdown of Ballot Papers:**
*Volta Region:*
- 100 booklets: 9,536 papers
- 50 booklets: 1,119 papers
- 25 booklets: 1,082 papers
- 10 booklets: 1,970 papers
*Ahafo Region:*
- 100 booklets: 3,344 papers
- 50 booklets: 393 papers
- 25 booklets: 401 papers
- 10 booklets: 654 papers
The Electoral Commission also outlined how they handle excess or faulty ballot papers post-printing. They ensure all excess papers are shredded and incinerated in the presence of political party agents, maintaining transparency throughout the process.
On October 9, the commission announced that eight companies had been selected to print the ballots for the December elections. This included companies like Buck Press and Sea Print Limited. They began printing on October 11, with one printing house being replaced due to equipment issues.
For the upcoming elections, there are 18,774,159 eligible voters across 40,975 polling stations. Additionally, 328 of these stations will host special voting on December 2 for specific groups, including journalists and security personnel. Applicants for special voting must provide proof of their engagement on the main election day, December 7.
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