The 2020 general elections of Ghana have been set in motion with the successful conduct of the very first round of voting undertaken by the Electoral Commission (EC) of Ghana. This first-round ballot casting is usually referred to as the Special Voting.
As a consequence, the Special Voting in the Bongo Constituency of the Upper East Region like elsewhere across Ghana took place successfully in Bongo on Tuesday 1st December 2020 without any incident. The expected number of voters as per records at the District’s Electoral Office totaled 739 but on the day of the poll, only 699 of the number turned up and voted. The implication is that some 40 of the persons who had earlier submitted their details as special voters, failed to show up at the poll.
The Special Voting the EC explained in parts, is always conducted for mainly the country’s security personnel who will be deployed for duties on election day as well as any other persons who will be unable to present themselves to vote on the day due to roles they have to execute relating to the electoral process. The statutory election day for Ghana is 7th December every four years during which, Ghanaians “aged 18 years and above and of a sound mind” and duly captured in voters’ register get to exercise their civic responsibilities of electing a President and some 275 Members of Parliament.
The thumb-printed from the said Special Voting has since been kept with the Bongo District Command for safekeeping under 24-hour protection pending counting at the close of the regular voting for the general electorate scheduled for next Monday, December 2020.
It will be recalled that the District’s EC took delivery of some election materials in the last week of November 2020 notably, ballot papers comprising 11 bags for Presidential and five for Parliamentary as well as other critical related election logistics.
The premises of the Bongo District Assembly was the polling station used for the exercise.
Source: Peter Atogewe Wedam (ISD-Bongo)