The Electoral Commission (EC) has announced that it will hold a special voting session on December 2, ahead of the December 7, 2024 general election.
Special voting is a provision for a specific group of registered voters, including journalists and security agencies, allowing them to cast their votes before the general voting day.
Regulation 23 (1) of Public Elections Regulations, 2020- Constitutional Instrument 127 (CI 127) states that, “A voter may apply to the returning officer of the constituency in which the voter is registered to be entered as a special voter if as a result of election duties the voter will not be able to be present at the polling station where the voter is required on the day of election.”
Briefing heads of security agencies and journalists in Accra yesterday, the Chairperson of the EC, Mrs Jean Mensa said to be eligible for special voting, individuals and organizations must submit applications between June 17 and July 1, 2024, providing evidence that they will be engaged on Election Day.
“All applicants for special voting should apply directly to the returning officer of the constituency where the applicant is a registered voter. Members of institutions who desire to apply as a group will submit a list of their members to the returning officers to serve as a register to facilitate the process.
“The list must contain the names of each applicant, the voter ID card, the polling station code as it appears on the voter’s ID card of the applicants. Please note that all applicants must apply in person to the returning officer,” she reiterated.
EC will be conducting the ninth general election since the commencement of the fourth republic in 1992 to elect the President of Ghana and Members of Parliament (MPs).
The two main contenders in the presidential election are Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia of the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) and former President John Dramani Mahama of the main opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC).
