“Ghana's EC is just Incorrigible” – Bright Simons Criticizes EC’s Reasons for Refusing Old Voter IDs

The Vice President of IMANI Africa, Bright Simons has described as illogical the reasons given by the Electoral Commission (EC) in rejecting old voters’ ID cards as a form of identification in the upcoming mass voters registration exercise.

Bright Simons said the EC’s outlined plans to compile the new voters’ register is flawed.

The Supreme Court last week ordered the EC to provide the legal basis why it has decided to refuse to accept the existing voters’ identification card as a form of identification in the upcoming  voters registration exercise.

The EC in response said the old Constitutional Instrument (C.I. 12) which was used in compiling the existing voters’ register did not require any proof of qualification to register as a voter.

This the EC said meant that, anyone who registered under C.I. 12 cannot be said to have satisfied the constitutional test of proving qualification since no proof was required even though the criteria for qualification under Article 12 was set out therein.

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EC Gives Supreme Court its Legal Basis for Refusing Old Voter ID cards

However, Bright Simmons reacting to EC’s statement questioned the rationale behind allowing two persons attest to the nationality of an individual rather than their own identity cards.

“Ghana's EC is simply incorrigible. Which law in Ghana says that if two persons attest that a person is a Ghanaian then they automatically become a Ghanaian? Yet, they will accept a "guarantee form" & reject identity cards issued by recognised state bodies for identification” he said via a post on twitter.

 He added that, the EC’s stance on the matter is problematic because “the two guarantors who can attest to citizenship must already be "registered voters" at the time of registration. Meaning people who used the impugned voter ID card to register can attest to the citizenship of 10 others but they themselves cannot register”.

Bright Simons asserted that, persons supporting the EC's stance have "clearly neither read CI 126 nor understood the illogicality of that position".

IMANI Africa had been a forefront critic against efforts by the Electoral Commission (EC) to acquire a new voting system, as it calls on the media to join the fight.