Ghana’s biometric registration of voters begins March 24

The biometric registration of all eligible Ghanaian voters will commence on March 24, 2012, the Electoral Commission’s Chairman Dr Kwadwo Afari-Gyan has said.

The exercise is expected to last for a period of 40 days starting from March 24 and ending on May 5, 2012.

Dr. Afari-Gyan said this in Accra on Wednesday, February 15, 2012 when he made a presentation at a forum organised by the Editors Forum. The topic was ‘Election 2012, the EC’s preparations so far.’

Biometrics is the science that tries to fetch human biological features with an automated machine either to identify or authenticate. Biometric products remove the need for passwords and Personal Identification Numbers or PINs. Biometric registration loosely refers to the use of computer to capture unique features of an individual.

Dr. Afari-Gyan disclosed that the electoral commission has purchased 7000 biometric registration kits, tools that will be used to conduct registration of all eligible persons, including prisoners, in all the 23,000 polling stations nationwide including all regions and districts at the same time from March 24 to May 5, 2012

The EC’s boss however admitted that, the introduction of biometric registration comes with its own problems.

According to him, the biometric registration makes it impossible for some people to vote more than once, though they may have registered.

On the day of the election, “you cannot go and vote at a polling station other than where you have registered,” he said.

He however said the commission and its stakeholders are going to put their heads together to find ways of making it possible for proxy voters, security agencies, disabled citizens of Ghana and other special workers who will be needed to assist in the conduct of election, to vote on the day of election.

He admonished every eligible Ghanaian to take advantage of the exercise and register when it starts.

To ensure a free and fair elections, all Ghanaians must be vigilant, Dr Afari-Gyan told the gathering.

By Pascal Kelvin Kudiabor