EC Unveils Ambitious Plan for 2024 Elections: More Polling Stations, Earlier Closing Time

In preparation for the 2024 elections, the Electoral Commission (EC) of Ghana has announced plans to establish additional polling stations, aiming to cap the number of voters at each station to 500.

The revelation came from EC Chairperson Jean Mensa during an Inter-Party Advisory Committee (IPAC) forum held on Thursday, December 14, in Accra.

The primary objective behind this initiative is to alleviate congestion at polling centers, ensuring a more efficient and streamlined voting process. Chairperson Mensa highlighted the success of a similar policy implemented in 2020, where 70% of polling centers had a voter threshold of 500 and below.

Building on this experience, the EC plans to extend this threshold to all polling stations across the country.

“We believe that this will go a long way to reduce the long queues that characterize our elections and allow for a smooth, seamless, hassle-free voting process,” stated Mensa.

She further emphasized that in the 2020 elections, voters took no more than five minutes to cast their votes due to the introduction of this policy.

In addition to the expansion of polling stations, the EC is contemplating an adjustment to the voting closing time. Mensa proposed shifting the current closing time of 5:00 pm to 3:00 pm for the 2024 general elections.

This move aims to further enhance the efficiency of the voting process based on feedback from previous elections and observer groups.

As the EC takes these proactive measures, Ghanaians are hopeful that the upcoming elections will be characterized by shorter queues, faster voting, and an overall smoother electoral experience.