General News

2020 Elections: Vote transfer is for students and security officers only – EC

9th July 2020

The Electoral Commission (EC) is encouraging every Ghanaian of eligible voting age to register their names at registration centres where they will vote during the general elections.

This is because there will be limited opportunities to transfer votes this year.

“Vote transfer this year will be for a designated category of people and not all Ghanaians, hence any person who registers at different centres will have to go there and cast their votes or else forfeit his/her right to vote on December 7th,” according to the electoral body.

Deputy Commissioner in charge of Corporate Services, Dr Eric Bossman Asare, and Deputy Commissioner in charge of Operations at the EC, Mr Samuel Tettey, disclosed this during an exclusive interview on Peace FM’s ”Kokrokoo” Monday morning.

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According to the EC, the “constitutional instrument that gives right for vote transfer indicates it can only be possible a year before elections” but considering the “timing of the ongoing registration exercise,” it will be unconstitutional to allow the transfer of votes.

However, there is hope for final year students in various schools and security service personnel comprising the Armed Forces, Police, Prisons and other persons providing essential services to the country.

The EC Chairpersons told host Kwami Sefa Kayi that the Constitutional Instrument (C.I) 94 that makes provision for vote transfer has been placed before Parliament for amendment.

When amended, the people who will be allowed to transfer their votes are the students and security services.

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”We’ll do the vote transfer but the little explanation is that when you look at the existing law C.I 94, the twelve months requirement doesn’t permit people to do the transfer because, when you check the time we’re doing the registration, the twelve months requirements will disqualify people”

”What the Commission is doing is that we will amend the C.I 94. It is currently before Parliament. So, the C.I 94 will give some people the opportunity to affect their transfer and this category of people comprises the students and the security services. These are the two categories of officials that we are amending the C.I 94 to give them the opportunity to transfer their votes but it’s not for every person”, Mr. Tettey said.

Mr. Bossman Asare, therefore, advised the section of Ghanaians not permitted to transfer their votes to ensure they register their names ”at where you believe you will be on December 7th because you won’t have the opportunity to transfer your votes. If you are not a student or security personnel, you can’t do the transfer; so you have to do your own evaluation to know where you’ll be on December 7th”.