EC Reacts To Video Of Supposed Official Stuffing Ballot Boxes Before Ejisu By-Election
The Electoral Commission of Ghana has issued a statement urging the public to ignore a video showing a man stuffing a ballot box, clarifying that the video is not from the Commission and the individual in the video is not their staff.
The Commission emphasized that their staff wear blue vests and their polling stations are located in open spaces, unlike the enclosed space shown in the video.
The Commission believes that the video is an attempt to damage their reputation. They also reminded the people of Ghana about the importance of verifying information in today’s age of disinformation and fake news.
See below for the full statement issued by EC led by Jean Mensa:
“The attention of the Electoral Commission has been drawn to a video circulating on social media depicting a Polling Station in an enclosed area.
The video shows a man stuffing ballot papers into a ballot box. The Commission wishes to state unequivocally that the said video has nothing to do with the operations of Ghana’s Electoral Commission let alone the Ejisu by-election.
The following details about the video clearly indicate that it has nothing to do with Ghana’s Electoral Commission:
1. The vest the Ghana Electoral Commission uses for its operations is blue. The official in the video is wearing a green vest. The second person seen in the video is wearing an orange vest. As stated, the Electoral Commission of Ghana uses a blue vest for its Operation Staff.
2. The Electoral Commission of Ghana’s Polling Stations are cited in open spaces but the Polling Station in the video is in an enclosed area.
3. Each Polling Station at Ejisu had at least Six Police Officers in addition to the Agents of the Candidates. This is not the case in the video being circulated.
4. All the ballot boxes of the Electoral Commission of Ghana are labeled according to the name and code of each Polling Station. The labels are boldly pasted on the ballot box. The ballot box in the video is not labeled.
5. Each Polling Station in Ejisu had only one ballot box. Two ballot boxes are displayed in the video. 6. The inscription on the vest worn by the man in the video is not in the English language.
That of the Electoral Commission of Ghana is in the English language. We urge the public to disregard the video. It is aimed at tarnishing the image and credibility of Ghana’s Electoral Commission.
The events in the video did not occur in Ghana. It has nothing to do with the Electoral Commission of Ghana. In this era of misinformation and disinformation, we entreat the public to cross-check information with the Commission so as to ascertain the truth. As a Commission we remain committed to delivering credible, fair, peaceful and transparent elections in 2024.”
