Personnel of the various security agencies, journalists, and officials of the Electoral Commission (EC) yesterday participated in the Special Voting Exercise in 14 regions of the country except Eastern and Western regions ahead of the general elections on Saturday, December 7.
The EC ordered a recall and reprinting of ballot papers for the Eastern and Western regions after the EC detected a defaced ballot paper.
The Special Voting Exercise for these regions will take place on Thursday, December 5.
In all, about 131,478 had applied for the special dispensation to take part in yesterday’s exercise as they would be busy lending support on Election Day to those engaged in the voting exercise.
IAN MOTEY reports from Ashaiman District Police Station in the Greater Accra Region that voters waited patiently in long queues to cast their ballot where a total of 1, 244 voters were expected for the exercise. According to the EC Returning Officer, Humphrey Appiagyei.
Similar exercise was also held at the Tema East and Kpone constituencies.
In the Tema Central Constituency voting centre (Community One District Police Station), KEN AFEDZI reports that at about 8:10am, there were long queues of security service personnel who waited patiently for their turn to cast their votes where a total of 308 voters had cast their ballot. A total of 693 voters were expected to vote with no discrepancies in the voters register.
At Tema West, a total of 1,004 voters were expected to cast their votes at the Community Two police station where the voting centre was divided into two; centres A and B.
As of the time of filing this report, 393 people had voted with the exercise going on smoothly.
KINGSLEY HOPE reports from Kumasi that the special voting for the presidential and parliamentary elections took off smoothly in the Ashanti Region.
A total of 20,922 registered voters were expected to cast their ballots for the special voting in Ashanti Region.
The exercise took off at 7:00 a.m in all the centres.
As of 12 noon, 393 voters had cast their ballots for both presidential and parliamentary at the Central Police Canteen ‘A’ and ‘B’ Centres in the Subin Cosntituency, in Kumasi, where 690 voters expected at each centres.
But the story was different in the Offinso North Constituency in the Ashanti Region, because as of 9:00 am, voting had not started.
According to the EC official at the centre, the voter’s register wasn’t among the materials brought to them on Sunday.
The EC official said a bus had been sent for the register from Kumasi to be able to start the exercise at the centre where 566 persons were expected to cast their votes.
DAVID O. YARBOI-TETTEH, reports from Cape Coast that voting across all centres in the Central Region during the special voting exercise for security officers, media practitioners and officials involved in the voting activities went on smoothly.
At the Regional Fire Service Headquarters serving the Cape Coast North Constituency, the presiding officer, Dr David Kofi Ampah, explained that, the exercise started at 7:00am.
As of 10:55 a.m. 180 voters out of 597 eligible voters had casted their votes when The Ghanaian Times visited the centres.
At the Cape Coast Regional Police Headquarters polling centre for the Cape Coast South Constituency, 180 out of 542 eligible voters had voted as of 11: 52 am.
LAWRENCE VOMAFA-AKPALU reports from the Adentan Constituency polling stations A and B at the Adentan Divisional Police Headquarters, that 841 persons out of 1202 names in the register had cast their ballots as at 3:25pm.
The presiding officer, Benjamin Quaye, told The Ghanaian Times that apart from some service personnel whose name were not in the transferred register the process had been peaceful.
The affected personnel, he explained, did not confirm their names with the Municipal Office of the Commission hence the omission of their names from the special voting list.
Mr Quaye indicated that the affected persons would have another opportunity to vote on Saturday, December 7.
RAFIA ABDUL RAZAK reports from the Upper West Regional capital, Wa, that the special voting for members of the security services, journalists and EC officials took off smoothly in the Wa Central Constituency in the Upper West Region without any hitches.
A total of 967 eligible voters were expected to vote at the two centres in the municipality.
As of 8:30 am when The Ghanaian Times visited the Wa Circuit Court where the voting was taking place, 142 people had cast their ballot while others were waiting in a long queue for their turn.
The returning officer, Dr Joseph Wulifan, said people started forming queue as early as 6: 30 am and voting started at exactly 7:00 am.
From the Bono Region, DANIEL DZIRASAH reports that a total of 6,473 security personnel and journalists were expected to take part in the special voting taking place in 14 polling centres across the Bono Region.
The special voting took place at the Bono Regional Police Command in the Sunyani and Wenchi municipalities respectively. The exercise started at exactly 7:15 am.
Mr Jona Saly, the Presiding Officer at the Police Headquarters Centre A and B said the EC created 14 voting centres in the Bono Region for the special voting exercise.
SAMUEL AGBEWODE reports from the Volta Regional capital, Ho, that the special voting started exactly at 7:00 am at three centres at the Regional Electoral Commission (EC) office premises in Ho.
A total of 8,471 would cast their votes in the Volta Region and 3,600 special voters would also cast their ballot in the Oti Region.
A Returning Officer for Ho Central Constituency and the Presiding officer at the centre, Mr Raymond Akposoe, said as of 10:24 am, a total of 600 persons out of the 1,159 voters at the three centres had cast their ballots.
From the Tema Central Constituency, VICTOR A. BUXTON reports that special voting at the Community 8 police station centre began at 7:12am and as of 9:30am 122 voters out of 457 who opted for the special voting had cast their votes.
The Returning Officer for the Constituency, Mr Kwasi Brobbey said the voting exercise was moving smoothly without any challenges and all the political party officials have conducted themselves well.
FRANCIS DABRE DABANG, reports from the Upper East Regional Capital, Bolgatanga, that the special voting which is taking place nationwide, started smoothly in all 15 centres in the Upper East Region.
A total of 6,623 voters were expected to cast their vote in the special voting exercise there.
As of the time of visiting some centres in the region, The Ghanaian Times found out that, election officers had arrived at the various designated centres hours before voting started at 7 am.
The special voting was simultaneously held in Navrongo Central, Builsa North, Chiana-Paga, Bolgatanga Central, and Bawku Central, with no voter trying to stampede the process.
Bolgatanga Central has presented the highest number of special voters-849, as Nabdam recorded the least number of registered special voters-108.
YAHAYA NUHU NADAA reports from Tamale that the special voting in Saganarigu Municipality of the Northern Region started smoothly at exactly 7:00am.
A total of 108 out of the 365 on the roll at the Kamina Primary School had casted their ballot when The Ghanaian Times visited the polling station.
The Presiding Officer at the Sagnarigu Municipality, Mr George Mumuni Yidana, expressed satisfaction about the voting process.
The Polling Station A in Yendi had 396 registered voters and 287 of the number had cast their votes at the time The Ghanaian Times visited the centre and Police Station B had 395 voters with 272 having cast their votes.
