Sunday, March 2, 2008

EC TO REPLACE LOST, DAMAGED ID CARDS (PAGE 13)

STORY: Kwame Asare Boadu

THE Electoral Commission (EC) will replace lost, defaced or badly damaged voter identity (ID) cards between March 14 and March 23, 2008.
The exercise, which would be conducted between 7am and 6pm daily, will ensure that such registered voters did not make any attempt to register again.
A statement signed by the acting Director of Public Affairs of the EC, Mr Samuel Yorke Aidoo, stated that each electoral area would have at least one replacement centre.
According to the EC, it would announce the location of the replacement centres at the local levels.
“The statement asked all prospective voters who had lost, defaced or badly damaged their voter ID cards to appear personally at the replacement centre and provide their personal data to the replacement officer.
It said it was a punishable offence to do double registration, and, therefore, urged people who had lost or destroyed their voter ID cards to take advantage of the opportunity of the exercise to have their cards replaced.
Affected registered voters who lived outside the district where they originally registered would report to the designated replacement centre in the electoral area of the district in which they currently resided and applied for replacement.
“There is no need to travel to their original district of registration to apply,” the statement said and added that, “this arrangement does not constitute a transfer of vote.”
The EC indicated that it would later make arrangements for voters who had moved residence to transfer their votes to enable them vote where they currently resided.
It called for the maximum co-operation of all affected persons to make the exercise a success.
All enquiries, the commission said, should be directed to the officers of the commission at the district, regional and national levels.

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