ELECTION 2016: Special Voting to be held Nov 3

Barring any unforeseeable glitch, eligible voters who will be directly involved in election duties and will not be present at the polling station they are registered on the day of election, will cast their vote on November 3, 2016, Chairperson of the Electoral Commission (EC) has told Parliament.

The 2016 Presidential and Parliamentary elections are scheduled to take place on November 7, 2016.
That means, members of the Ghana Armed Forces, Ghana Police Service, Ghana Prisons Service, Customs Division of Ghana Revenue Authority, Ghana National Fire Service, EC officials and staff of essential services will cast their vote four clear days ahead of the stipulated date fixed for the 2016 general elections.

Special voting is a facility provided by law to allow registered voters who will not be able to present themselves at their polling stations due to the role they play in the elections, to vote on the date before the rest of the electorates vote on the date set for the elections.

Constitutional Instrument 75 (21) stipulates: “A voter may apply to the Returning Officer of the Constituency in which the voter is registered to be entered as a Special Voter if as a result of election duties the voter will not be able to be present at the polling station where the voter is registered on the day of election.

“An application for Special Voting shall be made not later than 42 days before the polling day in the Constituency of the applicant except in the case of an applicant who is a Returning Officer.”