NO ELECTRONIC VOTING IN 2012 ELECTIONS

by Caroline Berg (Projects Abroad)



Dr. Kwadwo Afari-Gyan



For the December general election this year, there will be no electronic voting or electronic counting. Instead, there will be a biometric registration, which will replace the old form of voters’ registration.

The Chairman of the Electoral Commission (EC), Dr. Kwadwo Afari-Gyan, announced this change at a recent Editors’ forum in Accra.

Biometric technology is used to identify people in a more specific and scientific way beyond the usual biographic data. During the registration process, applicants will submit images of their ten fingerprints and a headshot photograph. The purpose of this biometric system is to prevent multiple voter registration and voting, as well as to mitigate incidences of voter fraud.

According to Dr. Afari-Gyan, biometric technology is an easier and cheaper system to deploy than other mass registration procedures. Also, biometric technology is the most reliable procedure, with over 30 years of testing. Lastly, submitting fingerprints and a facial photograph is the least obtrusive biometric method.

All pre-existing voter I.D cards will be replaced. Therefore, every eligible individual interested in voting must partake in this registration exercise.

A demonstration exercise on Biometric going on

The new registration will take a total of 40 days to complete nationwide. The EC is equipped with 7,000 digital registration kits to use across 23,000 polling stations. Prospective voters will be allotted a strict 10-day time frame to register. Nevertheless, there will be a limited “mop-up” period for those who missed registration due to a legitimate excuse such as traveling.

Although the biometric data will be able to identify and root out repeat registrations, the technology is unable to distinguish the difference in a set of fingerprints between a Ghanaian and a foreigner or between an adult and a minor.

“The security of voter registration is an issue that deserves maximum attention,” Dr. Afari-Gyan said.

To this end, Dr. Afari-Gyan said the EC has set up a technical committee comprising of Commission staff members and political party representatives, with the support of the biometrics vendor, to examine ways of achieving utmost data security.

To help ensure such security, biometric data will be collected transparently—that is, out in the open and only at the approved registration stations.

Secondly, data will be protected from unauthorized access. Registration officials will have to use their fingerprints to open or close computers containing the biometric data.

Thirdly, a printout of registered voters will be given to party agents at the end of each day to verify that the output of the registration is consistent with the input.

Finally, the EC has established a data recovery centre in case of potential data loss or system failure at the central database centre.

Registration officials of certain classifications are undergoing training now and officials who will oversee the actual registration will soon receive their trainings. Teams of six will manage voter registration in each “cluster” consisting of four polling stations.

The EC’s total budget for all the biometric voter registration, exhibition of provisional register, and presidential and parliamentary elections is estimated at GH¢243,528,305. Since funds have been provided on a timely basis, Dr. Afari-Gyan announced the EC plans to conduct the biometric voter registration from 24^th March to 5^th May, 2012.

If all goes smoothly, this new biometric identification system will quell the ongoing obstacle of voter impersonations. However, both technology and humans are capable of malfunctions and mistakes. Particularly on Election Day, there is very little room for error.