A political activist and physician, Dr. Arthur Kennedy, has raised serious concerns about the integrity of the voter registration process. He claims that the current voter register is bloated, with the number of registered voters appearing disproportionate compared to the overall population.
He pointed to procedural errors in the registration process, suggesting that the use of outdated methods, such as relying on unconnected laptops exacerbates the problem. Speaking on JoyNews’ AM Show on September 18, he said, “I can tell you that the register is bloated because if you look at the population and the percentage of the population that is registered, it looks as if our register is too large.”
“The issues stem from procedural errors during the registration process. Biometric measures should be applied in real-time during registration to ensure that the data is connected and up to date. Dr. Kennedy has suggested that the current voter registration may be inflated, indicating that some individuals might be taking advantage of these discrepancies.”
In addition, he stated that the EC should not be responsible for auditing its work. “I am just saying that it will seem as if there are people who benefit from it, that is why it keeps happening. In fairness, to the EC, it has an interest in protecting its work. It is like you are a student who has taken an exam and you say I want my script remarked. The same teacher who marked the script you have a problem with says I will remark it for you. Ideally, a different person should mark the script.”
“I think it is in the interest of everybody to have independent people look at this so we can all have the results,” he said. The opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) has been protesting against the Electoral Commission demanding an audit of the register ahead of the December elections. The party insists that several irregularities in the register cannot ensure a free, fair and credible election.
The party made the demands after the EC admitted to the transfer of illegal votes in the Pusiga District of the Upper East Region. Although the EC claims to have corrected the anomalies in the register, it has refused the NDC’s request to show evidence by giving them a copy of the corrected provisional register or re-exhibiting it.
