EC Makes Voter Transfer Process More Flexible For Students

The Electoral Commission EC has apologised for difficulties students encountered in transferring their votes from the point of registration to their preferred districts. The Commission in a statement Wednesday October 21, 2020, said it regrets the challenges and directed its officials to allow students to use alternative forms of identification for the exercise. Applicants were

initially supposed to provide physical proof of the new residence. “This comes to inform the general public and the electorate that the Commission’s officials have been directed to rely on other forms of identification such as admission letters, exeat slips and residential addresses to enable the students to utilise the transfer window,” Sylvia Annoh, the Director of Public Affairs at the EC

 announced. The voter transfer window was opened from October 20 and will end on Sunday, October 25, 2020, for only students who registered while in school and some security personnel. A registered voter who is a student or a member of the security service on special duties and is a resident in a constituency other than that in which he or she registered may apply to the Returning Officer of the constituency where he or she is

resident for his or her name to be entered onto the transferred voter list of a polling station in that constituency. Applicants are to sign a declaration by the Returning Officer before assignment to a new polling station. The law allows for the transfer of votes not less than 42 days to the elections. The EC will then compile the final register which will be made available to all political parties by November 11. The Commission is also using the window for the compilation of the proxy voter list.