https://www.myjoyonline.com/group-lauds-ec-and-ipac-over-voters-register-initiative/-------https://www.myjoyonline.com/group-lauds-ec-and-ipac-over-voters-register-initiative/

Advocacy Group, Milabban Population Network Ghana, has lauded the Electoral Commission and the Inter-Party Advisory Committee (IPAC), for adopting the decision not to undertake a periodic change of the voter's register.

According to them, the decision would not only fix the country’s voters’ register permanently but would also save the country millions of dollars, eradicate bloody clashes, and time lost that could be used for economic purposes.

In a release signed by the Executive Director of MAPnet Ghana, Mildred Mintah, the group indicated that the voters’ register is essentially the soul of all political activities as such, its sanctity must be protected with little stress and through cost-effective means.

They also believe that fixing the register permanently will help remove suspicions that the Voters’ register is always changed or compiled at the behest of the Government in power.

“It was mind-boggling and of national concern that the Electoral Commission of Ghana keeps adopting a periodic ritual of throwing out the existing biometric voters registers for a new one,” they stated.

They explained further that the recent biometric voter register compiled was funded with an amount of about $150m as reported by CODEO. This, they say, is unacceptable and a drain on the country’s meagre resources.

MAPnet-Ghana further stated that to ensure the smooth implementation and acceptance of the initiative, the country’s data system must be measured and updated and in addition, traditional authorities and other key stakeholders need to be included in the process to ensure consensus building on effectively and efficiently fixing our voters' register permanently going forward.

The organization says it has initiated an engagement with some of the key actors including clan heads and Imams on the adoption of a modality to assist the cleaning of the voters’ register regularly.

“The voters’ register belongs to the citizens and not the political parties. A cross-section of Ghanaians only go against all odds to acquire the voters’ identification card not necessarily for voting purposes but for transactional purposes,” the statement noted.

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DISCLAIMER: The Views, Comments, Opinions, Contributions and Statements made by Readers and Contributors on this platform do not necessarily represent the views or policy of Multimedia Group Limited.