The Electoral Commission (EC) will today, Monday, December 2, conduct the Special Voting exercise across 14 regions of Ghana, excluding the Eastern and Western Regions.

The exercise is a critical aspect of the electoral process, allowing security personnel, media practitioners, and election officials who will be on duty during the December 7 polls to cast their votes early.

Approximately 131,478 voters, constituting 0.007 percent of the total registered electorate of 18,741,159, are anticipated to take part in this Special Voting.

The exclusion of the Eastern and Western Regions follows the EC’s decision to recall and reprint ballot papers for those areas due to a reported breach of security seals. The special voting in these regions has been rescheduled to Thursday, December 5, to ensure the integrity and transparency of the election process.

Speaking ahead of the exercise, Jean Mensa, the Chairperson of the Electoral Commission, assured the public of a smooth and credible voting process in the 14 regions. She reiterated the Commission’s commitment to addressing all concerns to uphold the credibility of the elections.

The EC has also urged all eligible voters participating in the Special Voting to adhere to the guidelines, including presenting valid identification to polling officials. The exercise is expected to run from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. at designated polling centres across the 14 regions.

Votes cast during the Special Voting will not be counted on the day of the event instead, they will be tallied on December 7 at the Constituency Collation Centres and incorporated into the overall results from the main election.

The Returning Officer at each Constituency Collation Centre will document these results separately on both the Presidential and Parliamentary Election Results Collation Forms before merging them with the final counts from all polling stations.

Security has been heightened to ensure a peaceful process, with the National Election Security Taskforce overseeing operations at polling stations.

Meanwhile, political parties have deployed their agents to monitor the exercise and ensure fairness. Observers from various organizations are also expected to be present to ensure transparency.

The EC has appealed for calm and cooperation from all stakeholders, emphasizing that these measures are part of efforts to deliver a free, fair, and credible election.