The Electoral Commission (EC) has registered 251,149 eligible voters in the first six days of the ongoing nationwide voter registration exercise that started last week.
They are made up of 135,898 females representing 54.11 per cent and 115,251 males constituting 45.89 per cent.
First time voters, those between the ages of 18 and 21, constitute the majority of registered voters in all the 16 regions; they are 221,066, representing 88.02 per cent of total number of registered voters so far.
Deputy Chairman of the EC in charge of Corporate Services, Dr Bossman Asare who gave the update in Accra yesterday said the commission has been doing an average of 45,000 per day.
The registration exercise started the 21-day exercise for new eligible voters from May 7 until Monday, May 27, 2024, across all 268 district offices of the EC nationwide with a target of 623, 000 new registrants.
Giving regional breakdown, Dr Asare said Greater Accra, had 33,899 registrants representing 13.5 per cent, Northeast Region, 6,928 representing 2.8 per cent; Upper East, 10,646 representing 4.2 per cent and Northern, 19,491, representing 7.8 per cent .
Bono Region had 8,972, representing 3.6 per cent ; Bono East, 9,681, representing 3.9 per cent; Volta, 12,190, representing 4.9 per cent ; Upper West, 8,474, representing 3.4 per cent; Eastern, 25,625, representing 10.2 per cent; Central, 27,984, 11.1 per cent and Ahafo, 6,273, representing 2.5 per cent . Ashanti had 44,232, 17.6 per cent; Western North, 9,134, representing 3.6 per cent; Oti, 7,259, representing 2.9 per cent ; Savannah, 5,261, 2.1 per cent and Western, 15,100, representing 6.0 per cent.
Dr Asare said amongst the registrants are 400 persons with disabilities. On the forms of identification, he said Ghana card so far has been used by 98,926 applicants, constituting 39.39 per cent; the passport 622 applicants, constituting 0.25 per cent and the guarantor system used by 151,601 applicants, constituting 60.36 per cent. “
The guarantor system is something the commission is not proud of because it is used by local parties and certain persons to facilitate the registration of unqualified persons such as minors and foreigners.
“The current confusion at the registration centres is attributable to the guarantor system. But we have seen many people who others are alleging they are minors and they are trying to register,” he said.
Dr Asare said the challenge cases for the first six days of the exercise were 2,935, constituting 1.17 per cent of the total registered number of applicants. He said the greater Accra Region has the highest with 524 challenge cases and the Northeast has the lowest with nine.
Dr Asare said the commission had addressed the technical challenges that registrants encountered in the first two days of the registration exercise and urged eligible voters to register. He cautioned against registration of minors and non-Ghanaians.
BY JONATHAN DONKOR
