The extension of the voters register exhibition by the Electoral Commission (EC) was not enough to improve the turnout of the exercise.
The last day of the exhibition has again been generally met with a low turnout across the various polling centres, much like the previous days of the exercise.
The exhibition of the voters register commenced on Tuesday, September 10 and took place in the over 30,000 polling stations nationwide.
After being scheduled to end on September 17, the deadline was extended to September 20.
Citi News’ visit to some voter exhibition centres in the Central Region showed some centres deserted like the Church of Pentecost Centre in Awutu Senya East Municipality, where EC officials said only one person had visited since morning.
In the Greater Accra Region, Citi News visited the Ayawaso North and South Constituencies as well as Klottey Korley where EC officials also have a similar story about low turnout.
An official at the Nima Presby church said: “I don’t know if the people are tired of coming to check their names or something because I wouldn’t say it is the publicity. They are very aware that they have to come and check.”
In the Effia and Kwesimintsim constituencies of the Western Region, a 30 percent turnout was recorded after the two-week exercise.
Citi News’ Western Regional Correspondent, Akwasi Agyei Annim reported that many people who came to the centre also had names of dead people to be expunged from the register. But some of them were turned away because they did not provide death certificates.
In the Western Region, 2,195 polling stations were opened for the voter register exhibition exercise.
With the initial delays recorded due to logistical challenges rectified, it was expected that voters would participate in the exercise.
On the last day of the exhibition exercise, a polling station officer at the Saint Francis of Assisi School at Anaji in the Effia Constituency, Betty Dever, told Citi News about 30 percent of registered voters checked their names at the polling station.
The situation was not different at the Takoradi Senior High School polling station in the Kwesimintsim constituency which saw just about one-third of the expected voters checking their names.
Out of the 1,333 registered voters, only 1,001 came to check their names, with just one deceased voter removed from the register.
Checks at some polling stations in the Tamale South, Central and Sagnarigu Constituencies in the Northern Region revealed some impressive levels of turnout although some centres still recorded low turnout on the last day of the exercise.
Some of the exhibition officers noted that the extension of the exercised helped to get more people to participate in the exercise.
“As at last week, we didn’t have up to 300 people check their particulers but the three days they have added has made an impact.”
But some exhibition officials in the Ashanti Region say they have still been recording low turnout at various centres in the exercise despite the extension.
“We just come and sit here from 7 am to 6 pm but they don’t come at all,” an official told Citi News.