For the Electoral Commission’s (EC) impending Biometric Voter Registration (BVR) Exercise, the Coalition of Domestic Election Observers (CODEO) has trained 195 observers.
Trained for the event, which is scheduled to start on May 7 and end on May 27, 2024, these observers will be stationed in 146 districts that were chosen at random.
84 stationary observers, 86 mobile observers, and 25 regional coordinators make up the observation crew.
In a signed statement released on Monday, May 6, CODEO’s National Coordinator, Albert Kofi Arhin, stated that all 195 observers had undergone training prior to their deployment to guarantee the delivery of high-quality reports to CODEO’s data center for the duration of the registration period and professional behavior at the registration centers.
“CODEO’s observation of the 2024 BVR is consistent with its goal of advancing electoral process trust, public confidence, and openness. The first election support action the Coalition has scheduled for the general elections in 2024 is the observation of the BVR exercise, he continued.
In order to cast a ballot in the general elections of 2024, Mr. Arhin urged all eligible voters—especially those casting their first ballots—to take part in the voter registration drive.
“The Coalition calls on all parties participating in the election process, particularly political party leaders and supporters, to respect the guidelines and protocols guiding the registration process and refrain from any actions or remarks that could jeopardize the registration process’s credibility and tranquilly.”
He said, “The Coalition also begs all stakeholders to use legal and peaceful channels to pursue resolution for any grievances that may emerge throughout the exercise.”
Throughout the exercise, Mr. Arhin stated that public access to observation reports would be provided on a regular basis.
“With funding from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) under the Consortium for Elections and Political Processes Strengthening (CEPPS) mechanism, the Embassy of the Netherlands and the National Democratic Institute (NDI) jointly support the observation of the 2024 Biometric Voter Registration exercise,” he continued.