We are yet to decide on proposed offline exhibition of Provisional Voters’ Register – EC

• Mrs Jean Mensa, EC boss

The Electoral Commission (EC) has stated that it has not yet decided on the proposal for an offline exhibition of the Provisional Voters’ Register at polling stations nationwide.

After last week’s Inter-Party Advisory Committee Meeting in Accra, the EC announced its intention to exhibit the corrected Provisional Voters’ Register online as part of efforts to update the register in preparation for the December 7 elections.

There has since been calls on the Commission to consider an offline exhibition of the Register to allow the voters in rural communities and those who do not have access to the internet to participate in the exercise.

However, speaking at a session to train journalists on the electoral processes in Accra, Mr Benjamin Bano-Bioh, Director of Electoral Services, EC, said the offline registration of voters “was on the drawing board” and that the management of the Commission had not concluded on the matter.

“There has been a call on the Commission to extend the exhibition of the corrected voters’ register to the various registration centres. The Commission would have to take that decision. So, we wait and hear from management,” he stated.

Explaining the form of the online exhibition, Mr Bano-Bioh said registered voters could check their names, polling stations, and other details on their phones at no cost.

He encouraged registered voters to dial *711*51 # to check their details when the online exhibition exercise commences.

Mr Bano-Bioh appealed to the journalists to be factual in their reportage and always seek explanation from the Commission on electoral matters to avoid misinformation and disinformation.

The training, facilitated by the Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA), formed part of the project to enhance media capacity for fact-based reporting and countering election-related misinformation and disinformation.

Mr Kojo Impraim, Director of Media for Peace and Sustainable Development at MFWA, noted that the training aimed to empower the media to serve as a tool for accountability and advocate for the voices of citizens.

He then urged media outlets to establish fact-checking desks to verify information and avoid misinformation and disinformation throughout the electoral period.

“It is the media that tells proper story; so let us not allow misinformation to affect our electoral integrity,” he noted. —GNA