The Tale Of Missing Voters In The Voters' Register

The ongoing 'wahala' over bloated voters’ register in certain constituencies in the Ashanti Region should be an excellent opportunity for all stakeholders in governance in Ghana to discuss ways of making our voters’ register more credible. Beginning today and over the next few days, we will take our cherished readers through some results, which will indicate that over the years, some names that appear on some of our registers do not exist and that they refuse to respond when polling agents of various political parties are vigilant. For example, in the Ketu South Constituency in the Volta Region, 60,070 persons voted in the1996 Parliamentary elections. In the 2000 Parliamentary elections in the same constituency, 46,440 persons voted. The puzzle is why the more than 13,630 voters did not turn up? In the 2000 elections, the voters register had 86,170 voters in this constituency and 46,440 turned up to vote. This meant that 39,730 voters who registered, checked their names but when the register was opened, did not bother to turn up to vote. In the Bantama Constituency in the Ashanti Region, 169,792 voters were registered in the 2000 elections and 'only' 109,096 voters turned up on voting day. 'Only' is used because more than 60,690 voters did not turn up to vote! In the 1996 Parliamentary elections, 84,111 persons voted, dwindling to 65,888 voters in 2000, a shortfall of 18,223 voters. Unlike some countries, voting is not compulsory in Ghana. However, if on election day, more than 40% of those registered do not turn up, then one may have reasonable grounds to doubt the figures. Thus, in the 2000 elections, 139, 130 registered in Ablekuma South Constituency (Greater Accra Region) but 87,159 turned up, leaving a shortfall of more than 51,800. Another Greater Accra constituency, Ashaiman, more than 42,900 of the 103,000 registered voters did not turn up to vote.