EC to dispose ballots for Ahafo, Volta Regions due to serial number errors

The Electoral Commission (EC) has announced that printed ballot papers for the Ahafo and Volta regions will be recalled and dispose following a mistake in the serial numbers. The decision was revealed by Samuel Tettey, Deputy Commissioner in charge of Operations, during an IPAC meeting on November 15.

The emergency meeting was convened to discuss preparations for the 2024 general elections, which are now underway with the nationwide distribution of ballot papers.

“While the printing of ballots has generally gone smoothly, there has been an issue with the serialisation,” Mr. Tettey explained. “As a result, the Commission has decided to recall the ballots for Ahafo and Volta Regions.”

He added that plans for the recall and disposal of the ballots would be communicated shortly. A new printing company has been contracted to reprint the ballots for both regions.

Mr. Tettey assured political party representatives that party agents and security personnel would be present during the destruction of the faulty ballots. “All parties present at the disposal will sign a certificate of destruction, with copies provided to them,” he confirmed.

Rashid Tanko, Deputy Director of Elections and IT for the National Democratic Congress (NDC), commented on the issue, saying, “We raised concerns about the Volta region ballots. We should have addressed this earlier.”

The EC had begun the distribution of parliamentary ballot papers across the country, starting with the Greater Accra Region on November 14. Plans are in place to continue the distribution in other regions in the coming days.

To ensure security, the EC has implemented a strict storage protocol, with ballot papers kept under police guard at each regional headquarters until election day.