The Electoral Commission (EC) of Ghana has assured victims of the Akosombo Dam spillage that they will be allowed to exercise their franchise without voters' ID cards.
The Deputy Chairman in charge of Operations at the EC, Samuel Tettey, at a press briefing dubbed; “Let the citizens know” explained that, even though they wouldn’t have their voter ID cards, they could still go to their respective polling stations and vote as long as their names are properly captured on the commission’s database.
"If it is the voter ID card that you have lost and your name is properly entered into the voter’s register, you can still vote without your voter’s ID card,” he said.
He, however stressed that the ability of the flood victims to vote without any difficulties would be contingent on finding their right polling stations.
“The difficulty is that, if you go to the wrong polling station, you are going to waste everybody’s time because we may be going through the register and we may not be finding you. But if you go to the right polling station, your name will be on the register and you will be allowed to vote,” Mr Tettey said.
Mr Tettey's answer was in response to a question about the people living in the Lower Volta Basin whose homes got inundated by flood waters last month following spillage of the Akosombo and Kpong dams by the Volta River Authority (VRA).
On September 15, 2023, the dam spillage started and by October 19, due to the continuous rise in water level the overflow of water from the dam flooded hundreds of homes in the Mepe and Battor areas of the North Tongu District in the Volta Region.
The floods have already claimed properties valued at thousands of Ghana Cedis, including numerous buildings.