District Level Elections: 116,701 officials to supervise process tomorrow – EC

The Electoral Commission has expressed its readiness for Tuesday’s District Level Elections (DLE) across the country.

Voting is scheduled to start at 7 a.m. and end at 5 p.m. in all 38,315 polling stations across the country on December 19, 2023.

Addressing the media on Monday, EC Chairperson Jean Mensa said the Commission has over the months readied itself for the DLE in terms of ensuring the voters’ register is intact and the deployment of trained officers to ensure the success of the polls.

“As part of the Commission’s preparations towards the conduct of the District Level Elections, the Commission has undertaken some major activities, including the limited registration exercise, the exhibition of the voters’ register, the transfer of votes, and the receipt of nominations for prospective candidates, as well as the mounting of platforms across the country.”

“All categories of election officials have been selected, recruited, and trained at the national, regional, and district levels to prepare them adequately for their respective duties. In all, some 116,701 officials have been trained and equipped for the district-level elections,” the EC chair said.

She added that, with the exception of some parts in the Eastern Region where the ballot papers are being dispatched on Monday, all relevant materials and equipment have been delivered to the various regions and districts.

Mrs. Mensa noted that the elections will take place in all polling stations in all electoral areas across the country, with the exception of Nkoranza North and Nkoranza South districts, because both districts had their elections in 2021.

“Hence, the term of office of the assembly and unit committees of those two districts will expire in 2025 instead of 2019,” she emphasised.

According to her, voters who do not have their ID cards can still go to the polling stations and vote since the final register and biometric verification devices will bear their particulars.

On security, she stated that the Commission has furnished the Elections Security Taskforce with a list of all polling stations, including flashpoints, and expressed the hope that the process will be peaceful.

She revealed further that special provisions have also been made for the elderly, nursing mothers, and persons with disabilities, urging electoral officials and voters to offer them “preferential treatment” at the polling centres.