EC To Accept Ghana Card, Passport, 2 Guarantors For Voter Registration

The Electoral Commission of Ghana (EC) has announced that it would be using the amended Public Elections (Registration of Voters) Regulations, 2016 (C.I. 91) for its upcoming limited voter registration, set for September 12, 2023, to October 2, 2023.

This means that eligible Ghanaian voters can be registered to the voters’ register using either their National Identification Card (Ghana Card); their Ghana Passport or the endorsement of two guarantors.

Addressing the press at a briefing dubbed, ‘Let the Citizen Know’, on Thursday, August 17, 2023, the Chairperson of the Electoral Commission, Jean Mensa, said that per the existing C.I. for a person to be qualified to be registered s/he must be a citizen of Ghana; must be 18years of age or above and must be of a sound mind.

She also said that the person must be a resident or ordinarily resident in an electoral area and has not already registered as a voter, or is not prohibited by any law in force from registering to vote.

She added that “In addition to the above, all applicants are required to show proof of eligibility by tendering any of the following identification documents: A National Identification Card (Ghana Card) and Ghana Passport”.

Applicants who do not have any of the identification documents listed, she said, “are required to present two people who are already registered voters to vouch for their citizenship and age”.

The EC chair, however, cautioned that guarantors can vouch for only 10 applicants.

“It is a criminal offence to guarantee for more than ten (10) applicants and persons who guarantee for more than ten (10) applicants will be prosecuted,” she said.