A special voting exercise on Tuesday for eligible voters of selected institutions and professions, as well as security agents ahead of the December 7 general elections has ended successfully across the country. Spots of confusion dotted the exercise though, as voters who cast their votes outside constituencies they are originally registered, could only vote in the presidential elections. As in previous elections, an earlier impression was created that they could vote in both the presidential and parliamentary polls.
Those who were refused voting in the parliamentary elections had to choose between travelling to their constituencies to cast their votes for their presidential and parliamentary candidates or forfeit the parliamentary vote.
They could also abandon the special voting exercise altogether and therefore be eligible to vote on Sunday, December 7, when general elections to elect a president and 230 parliamentarians are due.
The exercise was aimed at freeing the special voters for voting day so they can provide crucial services. They include security personnel, medics, media practitioners as well as staff and officials of the Electoral Commission.
At the Osu Police Station where the Klotey Korle Constituency voting was conducted, 954 persons (278 females and 676 males) voted as at close of the exercise moments before 6pm.
Queues were stopped shortly after 5pm, and even though a number of voters were yet to cast their votes, they all cast their votes successfully, except those whose names were not found in registers provided for the exercise.
Returning officer Mr. Adonae Clement told Myjoyonline that a misunderstanding between election officers and voters over who qualified to vote, which led to the suspension of the exercise for about two hours, was amicably resolved.
The centre created 2 work stations for the exercise due to the large number of voters and on the balance, “it was a very successful exercise.”
