Delegates participating in the flagbearer elections in the Ablekuma West and Ayawaso West Wuogon constituencies have been informed that they are not allowed to bring their smartphones into the polling booths.
This decision has been made in accordance with Ghana’s legal requirements for free and fair elections, which mandate that voting should be conducted through secret balloting.
Security officials present a special pin to all delegates in return for their smartphones before they begin the voting process. Upon completion of the voting process, the delegates return with the unique pin for their smartphones.
The primary objective of this restriction is to prevent delegates from taking photographs of their ballot papers as a means of proving which candidate they voted for. While this practice has been noted to occur more frequently during intraparty elections, it raises concerns among democracy advocates who emphasize the importance of maintaining free and fair election standards.
Ghana’s laws underscore the need for the electoral process to be conducted by secret ballot, meaning that voters should not disclose their choices in any manner. Mobile phone usage inside polling booths poses a risk to this fundamental democratic principle, as it could potentially compromise the secrecy of the vote.
Election authorities in these constituencies have taken proactive measures to preserve the integrity of the democratic process. By prohibiting mobile phones within the polling stations, they aim to uphold the principles of transparency and fairness in the NPP’s flagbearer elections.
This move ensures that delegates can exercise their voting rights without any external influences or breaches of confidentiality.
