Electoral Commissioner, Jean Mensa, has confirmed that the Ghana Card will not be used as a voter ID in the upcoming December 2024 election.Her statement comes in response to speculation, particularly from the National Democratic Congress (NDC), that the Commission planned to use the Ghana Card for the elections.“The Ghana Card will not be used for voting in 2024; it will be used to register,” she emphasised.

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Mensa made the assertion while responding to questions on the floor of Parliament on February 28, 2023. She had been summoned by the Speaker to appear before the House to discuss the proposed Constitutional Instrument (C.I) that seeks to make the Ghana Card the sole document for registration in the Continuous Voters Registration exercise.

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Justifying the draft CI, Mensa said it aims to “promote the continuous registration of voters and advocate for an all-year-round registration of eligible voters at the district offices of the Electoral Commission.”

further explained that this is a departure from the previous system, where the Voters Registration was done for a limited period.“Under [the old system], registration of new voters was

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only conducted for a limited period and not all year round.As such, persons who turned 18 years old after the registration period, as well as persons who had not previously registered to vote, could not do so when the time set aside for registration elapsed,” she argued.She noted that under the new C.I, anyone who is eligible to vote can simply walk into any of the EC district offices and register.

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“Potential voters can register at any time of the year once the exercise begins,” she stressed.Another significant feature of this draft constitutional instrument, according to the EC, is the proposal to adopt the Ghana Card as the sole source of identification for any person who wishes to register to vote.

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Mensa clarified that the guarantor system, which is fraught with various challenges, will no longer be used in the registration exercise.“The use of only Ghana Card will ensure and guarantee the credibility of the register and elections, prevent enrolment of minors, prevent foreigners from voting, and eliminate theguarantor system, which is prone to abuse,” she emphasized.

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“This will reduce the usual pressure at registration centers, thereby reducing the likelihood of conflicts whatsoever. It will prevent minors and foreigners from voting and will take away the guarantor system,” she added.The draft constitutional instrument, entitled Public Elections (Registration of Voters) Regulations, 2021, has received mixed reactions.

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While some, particularly the Minority in Parliament, have vehemently contested it, the EC stands by it as the best option for the country, particularly the part that intends to make the Ghana Card the only form of identification for eligible voters who want to register to vote on the national register.

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Also, with the assurance given by the National Identification Authority to the effect that all outstanding Ghana cards will be cleared by August, she is optimistic that there will be no or less challenges with the exercise.

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