Special Voting is ongoing today, December 2, at designated polling stations across 14 of Ghana’s 16 regions, in preparation for the December 7 general elections. This exercise enables key personnel, including electoral officials, security personnel, and media practitioners, to vote early, ensuring their availability for election-day duties.
Approximately 131,478 voters, representing 0.007% of the total registered electorate of 18,741,159, are expected to participate. Voting is not being held in the Eastern and Western Regions due to the need to recall and reprint ballot papers following a reported breach of security seals. Special Voting for these regions has been rescheduled for Thursday, December 5.
Jean Mensa, Chairperson of the EC, has reiterated the Commission’s commitment to ensuring transparency and credibility throughout the process. Speaking during an Inter-Party Advisory Committee (IPAC) meeting, she assured stakeholders that all concerns are being addressed to deliver free and fair elections.
The exercise runs from 7:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. at designated polling centres. Eligible voters must present valid identification to cast their ballots. Ballots cast today will not be tallied immediately but will be securely stored and counted on December 7 at Constituency Collation Centres. Votes from the Special Voting will be recorded separately on Presidential and Parliamentary Election Results Collation Forms before being merged with the overall election results.
The EC has called for cooperation from all stakeholders, emphasizing that this exercise is a vital step toward ensuring a credible electoral process.