The Electoral Commission (EC) has commenced the nationwide Special Voting exercise today, allowing election officials, security personnel, and media practitioners to vote ahead of the December 7 general election.
Originally planned for 328 polling centres, the exercise in the Western and Eastern Regions has been rescheduled to Thursday, December 5, 2024, following a recall of ballot papers.
This year, 131,478 eligible voters—approximately 0.007% of the total voter population of 18.7 million—are expected to participate in the Special Voting process, which runs from 7:00 am to 5:00 pm.
Security and Transparency Assurances
Speaking ahead of the exercise, EC Chairperson Jean Mensa assured the public of the Commission’s readiness to deliver “transparent, credible, and peaceful elections.”
Mrs. Mensa clarified that security personnel and journalists who did not apply for Special Voting will not be eligible to vote today. However, they can cast their ballots during the general election on December 7.
Special Voting ballots will remain sealed and stored securely at police stations in the respective constituencies. They will not be counted immediately but will be tallied alongside the main election results on December 7 at the Constituency Collation Centres.
At the centres, Returning Officers will separately record the results on the Presidential and Parliamentary Election Results Collation Forms before merging them with the overall tally from all polling stations.
Ballot Security and Incident Response
To maintain the integrity of the process, the EC has instructed Presiding Officers not to count Special Voting ballots on the day they are cast.
The decision to reschedule voting in the Western and Eastern Regions follows a reported ballot paper leakage incident, prompting the EC to recall and reprint the affected ballots.
Dr. George Akuffo Dampare, Inspector-General of Police and chair of the National Elections Security Taskforce, has assured the public that robust security measures are in place to ensure a peaceful and safe electoral process.
The December 7 general election will see Ghanaians elect a new president and 276 Members of Parliament.
