By Jones Anlimah
A total of 8,708 personnel from security agencies, the media, and other individuals in the Volta Region, who will be on duty on election day, December 7, joined their counterparts nationwide today to cast their ballots in the special voting exercise.
The Volta Regional Director of the Electoral Commission, Mr. Eric Kofi Dzakpasu, in an interview with GBC, said the exercise started on time across the region and has been generally peaceful, without challenges. The special voting is being conducted in 22 voting centers across 18 constituencies.
In the Ho Central Constituency, the special voting exercise is taking place at the premises of the Volta Regional Office of the Electoral Commission. The process was running smoothly when the news team visited the center. The center has been subdivided into three polling stations because the voter population exceeds the 750 threshold per polling station. A total of 1,559 voters are expected to cast their ballots at this location.
As of 8:23 a.m., 81 out of 520 expected voters had cast their ballots at Polling Station A. This included 60 males and 21 females. At Polling Station B, 96 out of 520 voters had voted, comprising 70 males and 26 females. Polling Station C recorded 100 voters out of 519, with 70 males and 30 females casting their ballots.
Not all the presidential candidates had agents monitoring the process. However, agents from the two major political parties, the NPP and the NDC, were present at all three polling stations to observe the process.
In an interview with GBC, the Volta Regional Director of the Electoral Commission, Mr. Eric Kofi Dzakpasu, expressed satisfaction with the peaceful nature of the exercise and commended the high level of collaboration with security agencies to ensure a successful voting exercise on Saturday, December 7.
“The threshold of voters in a polling station must be 750, but we have some constituencies where the voter population is so high that we are forced to have more than one center. For instance, we have three polling centers in the Ho Central Constituency—A, B, and C,” Mr. Dzakpasu explained.
He added, “This is because they have a voter population of about 1,559. Ketu South has about 1,246 voters, so they also have two voting centers, and Hohoe has a population of 827, so they also have two centers. When you add these to the remaining 15 constituencies, we have 22 voting centers in the region, with a total voter population of 8,708.”
“Volta Region is part of Ghana, and what is happening in the Volta Region is the same as what is happening in other parts of the country. So, when we say we are expecting credible elections, it applies to all 16 regions of the country,” Mr. Dzakpasu concluded.
The smooth and peaceful conduct of the special voting exercise in the Volta Region reflects the readiness of the Electoral Commission and all other stakeholders for the upcoming general elections. With high expectations for a credible process nationwide, the success of this early voting exercise should set the tone for a well-organised and transparent election on December 7.
