Election Validation Intelligence (EVI), a leading advocacy group focused on improving election integrity, has unveiled a comprehensive proposal aimed at addressing significant gaps in Ghana’s election validation process.
The proposal, which seeks to link voter details to ballots and ballots to voters, is designed to enhance the transparency and credibility of the 2024 presidential, parliamentary, and other elections in Ghana.
EVI has identified critical deficiencies in the current election validation process, particularly the lack of reliable voter-to-ballot and register-to-ballot linkages and audit trails.
According to EVI, these gaps undermine the ability of polling station officials and the courts to effectively check, prevent, or enforce violations under Ghana’s election laws.
Identified Problems
EVI’s analysis highlights several issues that arise from the current system’s limitations. Without a clear connection between voters and their ballots, it becomes challenging to address key concerns such as voter personation, unauthorized voting, and multiple voting. Additionally, the lack of these linkages complicates the resolution of issues like ballot box tampering and the enforcement of court rulings on election-related disputes.
Hans Afram Akosah, Founder and President of EVI, emphasized the importance of these linkages in upholding election integrity.
“The existing process creates a voter-to-register audit trail, but it falls short in providing the necessary connections between the voter and the ballot.”
“This omission makes it difficult, if not impossible, to enforce election laws effectively, which is crucial for maintaining public trust in the electoral process,” Akosah explained.
Proposed Solution
EVI proposed a series of amendments to Ghana’s election procedures that would address these shortcomings.
The group advocates for changes that would link voter numbers in the register to the numbers on issued ballot papers, creating a more comprehensive validation framework.
This would involve endorsing or writing voter numbers on ballot papers and their counterfoils, as well as marking the issued ballot number against the voter number in the register.
“By implementing these changes, we can significantly enhance the verification process, ensuring that each ballot corresponds to a registered voter and that unauthorized votes can be detected and invalidated.”
“This will also strengthen the judiciary’s ability to scrutinize election results and take action against any misconduct,” Akosah stated.
Implementation Plan
To bring this proposal to fruition, EVI is calling on the government, parliament, and the Electoral Commission to adopt these measures through amendments to the voting procedures and regulations.
The group also plans to launch a voter education campaign to inform the public about the new process and its benefits.
EVI’s plan includes engaging lawmakers, political parties, and other stakeholders to build support for the proposed changes.
Additionally, the group intends to monitor and evaluate the implementation of the new validation mechanisms through data collection and analysis, with the results to be published in the EVI-Index.
Call to action
EVI’s call to action extends beyond government institutions to include political parties, civil society organizations, the international community, and the general public.
Akosah urged all stakeholders to support the proposal, noting that “peaceful, transparent, and credible elections are the foundation of our democracy. By enhancing our election validation process, we can safeguard this foundation for future generations.”
Election Validation Intelligence (EVI) continues to lead the charge for electoral reform in Ghana and Africa, advocating for measures that promote transparency, accountability, and public confidence in the democratic process.