The Electoral Commission (EC) has announced plans to reprint all ballot papers distributed to the Volta and Ahafo Regions following the discovery of incorrect serial numbers. The decision was made during an emergency Inter-Party Advisory Committee (IPAC) meeting held on Wednesday, November 15.
The errors affect both presidential and parliamentary ballot papers, prompting the Commission to take immediate corrective measures to ensure the integrity of the electoral process.
Samuel Tettey, the Deputy Chairman of Operations at the EC, confirmed the development during the IPAC meeting. He explained that the serialisation errors had raised significant concerns about the credibility of the ballots.
“Over the last few weeks, some concerns have been raised over the serialisation of the ballot papers for Ahafo and Volta Regions,” Mr. Tettey said. “While the printing of the ballot papers has gone down very well, the challenge faced by the Commission has been the serialisation of the numbers on the ballot papers.”
To address the issue, Mr. Tettey revealed that the EC had deployed teams to the printing house to rectify the anomalies. However, the Commission ultimately decided to recall all affected ballot papers and reprint them with correct serial numbers.
“The Commission has seriously taken action to cure the defects,” he said. “The Commission has decided that the two ballots will now be printed by Buck and Acts Commercials for presidential and parliamentary elections.”
The EC assured stakeholders of its commitment to maintaining the integrity of the electoral process and reiterated its readiness to collaborate with political parties to address concerns. The recall and reprinting are expected to cause minor delays, but the Commission has pledged to expedite the process to ensure the elections proceed as planned.
Source: Ghana/Starrfm.com.gh/103.5FM/Emmanuel Mensah
