It is for the lack of knowledge on the Ghanaian terrain and culture, according to Abraham Amaliba, the Director of Conflict Resolution for the National Democratic Congress (NDC), that Jean Adukwei Mensa, Chair of the Electoral Commission, is making a proposal for polls to close at 3pm.
The Electoral Commission has justified the decision to shift the closing time of voting from 5:00 pm to 3:00 pm during the upcoming 2024 general elections.
Jean Mensa, has emphasised that this adjustment aims to facilitate the transparent and orderly collation of votes by electoral officers in broad daylight.
But reacting to the issue, Mr. Amaliba said people need to visit their farms in the rural areas before returning home around noon to cast their ballot. So for the EC Chair to make such proposal means she lacks insight on the Ghanaian terrain.
“…so, people go to the farm and return at noon before coming to vote. She doesn’t know the terrain and doesn’t understand the culture. The 5pm was not given because people want to vote at 5,” he said on TV3’s New Day Friday, December 15, 2023.
He said those who abandon their jobs to exercise that civil right will also be fired. The reason the policy will potentially disenfranchise many eligible voters.
Mr. Amaliba continued that Madam Mensa’s insistence on the usage of the Ghana card as the sole document for authenticating citizenship for people’s names to be on the electoral role is a challenge the country is still battling for her to reintroduce another guideline that would worsen matters.
“Ever since Jean Mensa took over the reins of the Electoral Commission, she has developed a penchant for throwing up ideas that seem to disenfranchise people. We are still dealing with the ‘Ghana card only’ brouhaha and you have again introduced this one. I think Jean Mensa doesn’t know the terrain of this country. I’m not sure she has visited all the district offices to know the rough terrain that we have in this country.
“The issue in this country is that voting days are not declared as holidays. People would have to go to work before coax their employers to give them time to go and work. If people don’t work on the voting day they will be fired.
“So, by closing at 3, Jean Mensa is seeking to disenfranchise these people who are bound to go to work and come to vote,“ he reemphasised.
According to the former Director of Legal Affairs for the NDC, the polls can be closed at 3pm as the EC Chair is proposing. However, the number of eligible voters on a register per voting centre must be reduced in order not to inconvenience and disenfranchise people.
“If she wants us to close at 1, we can do it, she should further reduce the numbers up to 300,” he noted.
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