The Electoral Commission (EC) has launched the nationwide Special Voting exercise today, allowing election officials, security personnel, and media practitioners to vote ahead of the December 7 general election.
Originally planned for 328 centers, the exercise in the Western and Eastern Regions has been rescheduled to Thursday, December 5, 2024, following a recall of ballots.
With 131,478 eligible voters—representing 0.007% of the total 18.7 million voter population—the polls will be open from 7 am to 5 pm.
EC Chairperson, Jean Mensa, assured the public last Friday that the Commission is prepared to conduct transparent, credible, and peaceful elections.
She also clarified that security personnel and journalists who did not apply for Special Voting will be unable to vote today but can participate in the main election on December 7. Additionally, ballots cast during the Special Voting exercise will not be counted immediately. Instead, they will be tallied on December 7 at the Constituency Collation Centres and incorporated into the final election results.
At each Constituency Collation Centre, the Returning Officer will record the Special Voting results for both the Presidential and Parliamentary elections separately before merging them with results from other polling stations.
To ensure ballot security, all ballot boxes will be sealed and stored in secure police station rooms within each constituency. The EC has also instructed Presiding Officers not to count Special Voting ballots on the day they are cast.
Dr. George Akuffo Dampare, Inspector-General of Police and head of the National Elections Security Taskforce, assured the public that strong security measures are in place to ensure a peaceful and safe electoral process.
The general elections, where voters will elect a new president and 276 Members of Parliament, are set for Saturday, December 7, 2024.
