All is ready for this year’s District Level Elections (DLE) slated to take place today, Tuesday, December 19, 2023 across the country, the Electoral Commission (EC) has stated.
Over 66,000 people are competing for the District Assembly and Unit Committee positions in the forthcoming DLE.
The EC’s data indicates that there are 18,755 assembly member candidates and 47,502-unit committee member candidates, totaling 66,257 candidates.
Out of the 18,755 assembly candidates, 17, 474 are males representing 94 percent, whilst the females are 1,106 representing six per cent.
Also, out of the 47,502-unit committee candidates, 40,923 are males representing 88 per cent and the females are 5,413 representing 11.6 per cent.
Meanwhile, the EC says it will use today’s elections to roll out new technologies it intends to implement in the 2024 election.
EC Chairperson, Jean Mensa said the new verification system would prevent double voting and electoral fraud.
Mrs. Mensa, therefore, urged electorates not to fall foul of the law.
“The biometric technology makes it difficult for a person who has been verified and cast their vote to come a second time. Because once you have been verified, it goes into the system, and you cannot come back a second time.”
“So you can try it if you wish at this election. Of course, it will be deemed an electoral offence, but because of biometric technology, your facial features are recognized, or your fingerprints are recognized, you cannot go a second time,” she said.