The Electoral Commission has declared that the outfit will no longer resort to the use of indelible ink in its quest to prevent the double voting phenomenon.
This was made known by the Chairperson of the commission, Jean Mensa during a press briefing ahead of the country’s district level election on December 19, 2023.
According to the EC, the directive comes as an effort to ensure a robust identification system is in existence. The decision will apply to subsequent elections, it added.
“The issue of indelible ink, the question is when we were not doing biometric, we were basically using your face, your card. We look at your face and we say this picture looks like you,” she said.
She touted the country’s adoption of a biometric identification system as a viable mechanism that makes it challenging for people to engage in double voting.
“Once you have been verified, it goes into the system, and you cannot come back a second time. You can try it if you wish at this election. Of course, it will be deemed as an electoral offence,” she said.
The EC has made use of the indelible ink for at least, the past six general elections. Despite the ink being difficult to clean after voting, there have been issues of double voting on numerous occasions.
Given the directive which precedes shortly the country’s general election in 2024, the EC would hope to reduce drastically reports on double voting.
Source: Dehotpress
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