POLITICS

PHOTOS: EC to stick to ‘no-verification-no-vote’ policy for 2020 elections

The Electoral Commission (EC) will use the no-verification-no-vote policy for the 2020 elections.

As part of efforts to upgrade its Biometric Voter Management System (BVMS), the EC plans to do away with the manual verification of voters, according to the Commission’s Director of Elections, Dr. Serebour Quaicoe, who spoke on Eyewitness News.

“We want to eliminate the possibility of depending on manual verification where people who decide to vote will be verified by individuals.”

The EC plans to have a facial recognition verification technology as a backup to the biometric verification process.

Dr. Quaicoe thus said the commission wants “to go by no verification no vote so if the two [fail you, then you may be an imposter].”

“The essence of the biometric process is to eliminate human elements so that the decision as to who qualifies will not be determined by men who can be compromised… Those who will be failed by the fingerprint [verification] will be fewer and instead of them depending on manual verification, they will resort to facial recognition.”

Despite backlash from some political parties, the EC is on its way to preparing the new register which has a budget of GHS390 million.

The registration exercise will take place between April and May 2020 over a period of 50 days.

Caution from expert

Despite these plans for an upgrade, a technology consultant, Maximus Ametorgoh cautioned that facial recognition may not solve all verification challenges during elections.

“The [facial recognition of the new register] is not foolproof. Over time, there will be issues with it. People with similar faces can open the same device or even if you create a 3D of the person’s face. There are many other ways to open the device if people look alike.”

He also described the move by the EC as a costly venture and advised the electoral body to consider a gradual adoption of facial recognition technology.

 

Source: Citinewsroom

Ogyem Solomon

Solomon Ogyem – Media Entrepreneur | Journalist | Brand Ambassador Solomon Ogyem is a dynamic Ghanaian journalist and media entrepreneur currently based in South Africa. With a solid foundation in journalism, Solomon is a graduate of the OTEC School of Journalism and Communication Studies in Ghana and Oxbridge Academy in South Africa. He began his career as a reporter at OTEC 102.9 MHz in Kumasi, where he honed his skills in news reporting, community storytelling, and radio broadcasting. His passion for storytelling and dedication to the media industry led him to establish Press MltiMedia Company in South Africa—a growing platform committed to authentic African narratives and multimedia journalism. Solomon is the founder and owner of Thepressradio.com, a news portal focused on delivering credible, timely, and engaging stories across Ghana and Africa. He also owns Press Global Tickets, a service-driven venture in the travel and logistics space, providing reliable ticketing services. In addition to his media ventures, Solomon serves as a Brand Ambassador for Alabuga, a prominent Russian industrial company, representing their interests and expansion across Africa. He previously owned two notable websites—Ghanaweb.mobi and ShowbizAfrica.net—both of which contributed to entertainment and socio-political discussions within Ghana’s digital space. With a diverse background in media, digital journalism, and business, Solomon Ogyem is dedicated to telling impactful African stories, empowering youth through media, and building cross-continental media partnerships.

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