Dr. Zanetor Agyeman-Rawlings, Member of Parliament for Korle Klottey, has voiced concerns about the ongoing limited voter registration exercise conducted by the Electoral Commission (EC), stating that it is financially straining MPs and causing chaos due to the large number of districts being served by a single registration location.
Dr. Agyeman-Rawlings expressed her reservations during a visit to the EC head office with former President John Mahama to assess the registration process.
She commented, “It’s a bit chaotic because we have so many districts here. Unfortunately, some machines keep going offline, causing delays in the process. There’s a lot going on, and things are difficult. We are trying to convince people to fulfill their civic duty, which is to get registered. We want to ensure that the process is easy and not too stressful, so people don’t have to wait here all day.”
Agyeman-Rawlings also noted that the current system is financially draining for MPs, who are providing transportation and other support to constituents needing to register.
“Many of the people here live from hand to mouth. Every moment they sit here is potentially money they could be earning in a day. We need to make the process a little smoother. I’m not quite sure what the EC is going to do about this situation. We have too many districts and only one location, making it very stressful for many of those who are here.”
When asked directly if the exercise was taking a financial toll on MPs, she responded, “It’s the case across the board, and it’s one of the reasons why we were not in favor of the limited registration exercise being conducted in this form.”
Agyeman-Rawlings called on the EC to decentralize the registration process and allocate more resources to ensure a smoother and more efficient operation.
The EC initiated the voter registration exercise on Tuesday at its district offices nationwide, allowing individuals who have reached the age of 18 to obtain voter identity cards for the upcoming elections.
