EC justifies use of Ghana Card as sole document for identification

The Electoral Commission (EC) has made a strong case for the use of the Ghana Card as the sole document for identification for purposes of voter registration.

At a press conference on Thursday, a Deputy Chairperson of the commission, Dr. Bossman Asare, said instances of minors and foreigners taking advantage of the guarantor system being used in the ongoing limited voter registration exercise support the need for the use of a document that will make it easy for the determination of the ages and nationality of the applicants.

“We believe that the use of the Ghana Card as the sole document for identification for voter registration will help to improve the integrity of the electoral roll and ensure that only eligible Ghanaians are registered to vote,” Dr. Asare said.

The EC’s proposal has been met with some opposition, with some critics arguing that it will disenfranchise many Ghanaians who do not have Ghana Cards.

However, Dr. Asare assured Ghanaians that the EC is working to ensure that everyone who is eligible to register to vote has the opportunity to do so.

“He said the EC is working with the National Identification Authority (NIA) to ensure that all eligible Ghanaians have access to Ghana Cards.

Dr. Asare urged all stakeholders, including parliament, to support the new Constitutional Instrument to abolish the guarantor system.

He said that the use of the Ghana Card as the sole document for identification for voter registration is essential to ensuring the integrity of the electoral roll and the credibility of Ghana’s elections.