The Electoral Commission (EC) of Ghana has announced the postponement of the special voting for the Eastern and Western Regions to Thursday, December 5, 2024, following the discovery of a defaced ballot paper meant for the Presidential election in the Eastern Region.
At a press briefing on Sunday, December 1, 2024, EC Chairperson Jean Mensa explained that the postponement was necessary after a single defaced ballot paper, which had been intended for destruction, was leaked out of the printing house. The ballot paper was printed by Rocheck Limited, the same printing house responsible for the ballots for both the Eastern and Western Regions.
“The special voting for the Eastern and Western Regions will not take place on Monday, December 2, as initially scheduled. It will now take place on Thursday, December 5,” Jean Mensa confirmed.
The leaked defaced ballot paper, which was meant for destruction, found its way out of the printing house, raising concerns about the integrity of the electoral process. The National Security informed the Commission that the ballot paper had been taken from the printing facility despite being under close supervision by the National Investigation Bureau, National Security, and agents from both the political parties and the EC.
In response, the Commission has ordered the recall and reprinting of the ballot papers for both regions. To facilitate this process, the EC has engaged three different printing houses to ensure the reprinting of the ballots. The Commission emphasized that it was committed to transparency and informed the political parties of the incident to maintain the integrity of the electoral process.
The special voting scheduled for Monday, December 2, will proceed as planned in all other regions, but for the Eastern and Western Regions, voters will now cast their ballots on December 5.
