Chair of the EC, Madam Jean Mensah, has announced the EC will receive the election results from the various polling stations via e-mails and fax .
Read the EC’s full press statement below:
SPEECH BY MRS JEAN MENSA,
CHAIRPERSON OF THE ELECTORAL COMMISSION
LET THE CITIZEN KNOW
Good afternoon distinguished citizens of Ghana, I warmly welcome you to today’s “Let the Citizen Know”. Today is a great day and we thank the good Lord for His faithfulness. We couldn’t have come this far without him and we are eternally grateful.
Today marks a historic day on our national calendar. It is the day before the 7th December 2020 election – TO GOD BE THE GLORY, GREAT THINGS HE HAS DONE AND GREATER THINGS HE WILL DO. This afternoon we are here to give you our distinguished citizens an account of the work we have done to ensure a credible orderly, fair, timely, transparent and peaceful election 2020.
As a Commission we recognise that we are accountable to the citizens of Ghana and I am pleased to inform you that by the grace of God we are fully ready to conduct a successful, credible, fair, orderly, transparent and peaceful election on Monday, 7th of December 2020. Permit me to highlight the work done to achieve these results as altered above.
Procurement of Logistics
The Commission has procured a wide variety of election materials for the 2020 Election. These include ballot boxes, thumbprint pads, stationery, identifications jackets, polling station booths, rechargeable lamps, indelible ink, educational posters, and seals, among others. I am pleased to note that as a result of a thorough planning and distribution process, we have distributed these items to all thirty-eight thousand, six hundred and twenty-two (38,622) Polling Stations across the country. For the first time in our history, we printed and distributed all ballot papers for the 2020 Presidential and Parliamentary Elections some two and a half weeks before the election. This early planning and distribution of our logistics has helped ease the pressure on our officials and has allowed the Commission enough time to strategize well ahead of the elections. We believe this will improve the overall quality of the election.
Covid-19 Items
Distinguished ladies and gentlemen, we are mindful of the fact that we are not in normal times. As such we have put in place stringent safety protocols and procured the necessary items to ensure the safety and security of all stakeholders at our centres. We were able to test our safety protocols during the 38-day registration exercise. This will be replicated on Election Day. Interestingly, we saw a rapid decline in the Covid-19 cases, during and after the registration
Beyond the Polling Stations, we have also put in place arrangements at our collation centres to curb the spread of the virus. Projectors and screens have been provided in each of the 275 collation centres and 16 regional collation centres, on which results would be displayed. This will prevent the gathering of persons around laptops to view the collated results, thereby minimising crowding, and curbing the spread of the virus. We are confident that the training afforded to our 38,662 plus COVID 19 Ambassadors will result in an efficient implementation of our safety protocols nationwide.
Recruitment and Training of Staff
Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen, recognising that the performance of our field officers is key to the success of the election, we provided a three-week rigorous training program on all aspects of the election cycle to some 240,000 field officials. Additionally, and for the first time in the Commission’s history, all field officials have signed a binding and enforceable code of conduct to abide by the guidelines and directives of the Commission. We are confident that, with the skills acquired and Codes of Conduct signed, our field officials will deliver their functions efficiently and effectively.
Biometric Verification Equipment
As you may be aware, the Commission has procured seventy-four thousand, eight hundred (74,800) brand new biometric verification devices to enhance the integrity and credibility of the polls. The devices have been prepared and distributed to the polling stations across the country. We are confident that the enhanced features of the devices will speed up the verification process and go a long way to ensure that only persons whose biometric details are captured in our system vote on the Election Day. It is important to note that the device has a record of both fingerprints as well as the facial features of each unique individual. As a result, in the event where an individual has lost the use of his/her fingers, the facial recognition feature will be employed to identify the voter. We are confident that the use of both features will go a long way to enhance the integrity of the Polls.
Feedback from the recent special voting which took place on the 1st of December 2020, indicates that the equipment functioned effectively and enabled the prompt verification of voters at the polling centres. We believe that the efficiency of the devices will enhance the voters experience on Election Day.
2020 Voters Register
Distinguished Citizens, as you may be aware, the Commission has prepared a new Biometric Voter’s Register in time for the election. We are pleased to note that the register embodies unique individuals only. To date, the register has a total no of seventeen million and twenty-seven thousand, nine hundred and seventy-one (17,027,971) Voters. We are confident in the credibility and integrity of the 2020 Voters Register.
Source: Gossips24.com
