The Majority Leader, Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, has expressed his concerns about the Electoral Commission’s (EC) proposal to use the Ghana Card as the only document for voter registration in the 2024 elections.
Mr. Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu cited the ongoing challenges faced by the National Identification Authority (NIA) in issuing Ghana Cards. He argued that relying solely on the Ghana Card for voter registration would be premature, as many eligible voters have not yet received the card, and some who have registered for it are still waiting to receive it.
During a recent interview, Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu talked about the initial decision made by the EC to link the voter registration for the District Level Elections (DLE) to the Ghana Card. He mentioned that this decision faced criticism due to excluding eligible voters who did not possess the card. He reiterated that relying solely on the Ghana Card for voter registration would create similar issues.
Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu pointed out that many people do not have Ghana card, and some of those who registered to get the card have not yet received it. He emphasized that it was problematic to tie the registration for the District Level Elections to the Ghana card, given that some eligible Ghanaians have not been registered to get the Ghana card.
He stated that if the EC could assure every eligible Ghanaian of getting the Ghana card, then the registration could be based on the Ghana card. However, if it is admitted that not every eligible Ghanaian has been registered or can be registered, it becomes difficult to restrict the registration solely to the Ghana card.
