Electoral Commission to Publish Election Irregularities Guidelines and Results Online

The Electoral Commission (EC) has announced that it will publish the procedures for addressing election anomalies on its website ahead of the 2024 elections.

This move is in response to civil society organizations (CSOs) calling for a straightforward, standardized approach to managing issues such as over-voting, recounts, and re-collation to ensure transparency.

During a forum organized by the Institute for Democratic Governance (IDEG), Serebuor Quaicoe, the EC’s Director of Training, we outlined the Commission’s plan. “All steps to address anomalies will be available on our website.

We will publish these procedures so anyone can access them,” Quaicoe said.

He noted that while the EC currently provides an internal election manual for its officers, it will also develop an “aide-memoire” – a concise guide to distribute to officers and observers.

This aide-memoire will serve as a reference for addressing issues and challenging irregularities.

In addition to procedural guidelines, the EC will publish polling station results on its website before the 21 days for filing petitions and make constituency, regional, and national results available before the final declaration of the election winner.

Prof. Kwesi Jonah, a senior research fellow at IDEG, welcomed the EC’s decision but expressed concerns about the timing. “Will the EC be able to publish the results promptly?” Jonah asked.

He recommended that polling station results be made available at least two weeks before the 21-day window for filing petitions to ensure that parties and candidates have sufficient time to review and use the data for any legal challenges.

These new policies are part of broader recommendations made by Election Observation Missions following the 2020 general election, which aim to enhance transparency and trust in the electoral process.