Concerns regarding the expense of reprinting ballots are subordinated to maintaining the integrity of Ghana’s electoral process, according to the Deputy Chairman of the Electoral Commission (EC) in charge of Corporate Services.
On November 19, Dr. Bossman Asare discussed the EC’s decision to reprint ballots for the Volta and Ahafo regions because of differences in serial numbers in an interview with Joy News’ PM Express.
He explained that it was an essential step to preserving confidence in the election process.
“The Commission didn’t think so much in terms of the cost as to the quality of the country’s elections,” he stated.
He noted that the discrepancies could have compromised the integrity of the elections, which would have had far-reaching consequences.
“If you don’t get the serial numbers right, and someone votes for a candidate, there’s a risk that the ballot could be deemed rejected,” he explained.
While acknowledging that it might be expensive to reprint ballots for some areas, Dr. Asare reaffirmed that the Commission’s top priority was making sure the elections were transparent and credible.
“We believe that the taxpayer will be more concerned about us having a system that is very peaceful, very credible, and very transparent,” he added.
The EC will write to the National Intelligence Bureau, the Ghana Police Service, political parties, and the printing company concerned to supervise the disposal of the incorrect ballots in order to guarantee accountability in the process.
“When we finish burning them, we have what we call the destruction certificate, which all the parties are going to sign to confirm their presence during the destruction,” Dr Asare explained.
In order to preserve the legitimacy of the elections, Dr. Asare stated that the EC’s decision to include more printing companies for the impacted ballots was crucial.
“We have a strong reputation to protect,” he stated. “For us, ensuring the integrity of the process so that all the political parties are happy is more important than the cost argument.”
Additionally, he emphasized how important diversity is to the EC’s functioning.
“It will interest you to know that when we met with the parties and informed them of the issues, they tried to salvage it. But we still noticed some gaps, so we made the decision to ensure ballot integrity,” he said.
The public was informed by Dr. Asare that the Commission will speak with the printing company about the potential costs.
He did stress, though, that maintaining the legitimacy of the elections could not be compromised.
“Inaction on this issue would have been more devastating. Just imagine people saying there are problems with the ballot papers after voting—it would certainly not bode well for the Commission,” he noted.
He came to the conclusion that the EC’s choice demonstrated its dedication to holding elections that all parties could rely on.
“We believe that a credible system, where all players and stakeholders are satisfied, is what matters most,” he said.
Source: myjoyonline.com