Oti Region has recorded 8,526 rejected ballots, representing 3.03 per cent of 281,496 total votes cast in the region during the just ended Presidential election.
The total valid votes cast was 272,970, representing 96.8 per cent of 281,496 total votes cast.
While John Dramani Mahama, the NDC Flagbearer had 182,470 votes, representing 64.8 votes as against 86,489 votes, presenting 30.7 per cent secured by Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, the Vice-President and the NPP Flagbearer, with Twum-Barima-Adu at the bottom with 75 votes.
This was contained in “Presidential Election Regional Result Summary Sheet” signed by Mr. Nuhu Mahama, the Oti Regional Director of Electoral Commission (EC).
Commenting on the rejected ballots, Mr. Julius Bokor, the Guan District Electoral Officer in an interview the Ghana News Agency (GNA), said low voter education on how to thumbprint correctly might have accounted for that and that though EC had done enough, there was more needed to be done.
He called for continued education by EC, NCCE and the political parties to reduce the trend.
Mr. Evans Degboe, Executive Director, Citizens Care, Kadjebi-based Non-Governmental Organisation, said insufficient voter education accounted for the high number of rejected ballots in the region.
He said education on how to thumbprint correctly was not enough and that how to clean one’s hand before folding the ballot paper was important.
“When I thumbprint, there was no issue to clean my hand, so I have to use my handkerchief to clean my hand before folding the paper”, he said adding “ignorant voter can soil the ballot paper making it rejected.”
Mr. Degboe appealed to the political parties to educate the voters well because they would be the end loser.
Mr. Clement Kwesi Mamadu, the Krachi East Municipal Director of NCCE, said in his view, “the length of the ballot paper, especially the Presidential ballot,” made it difficult to fold the paper correctly.
He said the knowledge on how to thumbprint process was also a contributory factor in the high number of rejected ballots recorded in the region.
Mr. Mamadu called for continued voter education and not only just during an election period.
GNA