African Electoral Institute appeals to minors to desist from registering

African Electoral Institute (AEL) has appealed to underaged children to desist from registering in the ongoing limited registration exercise.

According to the Institute, it is unlawful for children below the eighteen (18) year threshold to register at this time.

“The institute further admonishes parents to assist in preventing minors from registering by advising their underaged children not to follow anybody who come their way to lure them with money and other goodies to go and get them registered.

“Parents should report these unscrupulous adults to the Police for the appropriate action to be taken against them.
The AEI is also pleading with community leaders to help in the prevention of minors from indulging in this electoral offence,” the Institute indicated in press release.

Below is the full statement 

PRESS RELEASE
TO ALL MEDIA HOUSES
DATE: 20TH MAY, 2024

THE AFRICAN ELECTORAL INSTITUTE (AEI) APPEALS TO UNDERAGED CHILDREN (MINORS) TO DESIST FROM REGISTERING DURING THIS LIMITED-REGISTRATION EXERCISE

The African Electoral Institute is appealing to minors, i.e., children below the eighteen (18) year threshold, to abstain from registering in the ongoing Limited Voter Registration Exercise by the Electoral Commission as it is unlawful.

The institute further admonishes parents to assist in preventing minors from registering by advising their underaged children not to follow anybody who come their way to lure them with money and other goodies to go and get them registered.

Parents should report these unscrupulous adults to the Police for the appropriate action to be taken against them.
The AEI is also pleading with community leaders to help in the prevention of minors from indulging in this electoral offence.

It should be noted that getting or facilitating a person who has not attained the age of 18 years per section 1(1) (b) of the Public Elections Regulations( Voter Registration) C.I 91 ( as amended by C.I 126) to register as a voter constitutes an electoral offence per section 28 (1) of the Public Elections Regulations (Voter Registration) C.I. 91 (as amended by C.I. 126) .

Under aged persons who are misled by some politicians or even their own parents to get them registered as voters now, should note that there will be consequences awaiting them in the near future since this singular mistake can hurt their future progress forever because the voter IDENTITY CARD may be linked to their National Identification Cards (GHANA CARD) which will have future ramifications for them.

Finally, the African Electoral Institute (AEI) wishes to encourage political party agents or members of the public to use the appropriate guidelines for this registration exercise. Particularly, for challenging minors, one should pick a challenge form and go through due process when one suspects a registrant to be a minor, instead of resorting to violence.

SIGNED:
Augustus Eshun
Director of Communication and External Relations
(0244609891

HEAD OF ELECTORAL SECURITY DEPARTMENT
Ex.W/O1 Alhaji Yussif
(0243311965)

Electoral Research Dept.
Seyram Mankra
0244747128

Deputy Director of Communications
Joshua Nii Adjin- Tettey
0540904550

2nd Dep. Director of Communications
Emmanuel Biri
0538421573 (WESTERN REGION AND CENTRAL REGION)

African Electoral Institute ( AEI) is a Civil Society Organisation (CSO) founded to deliver sustainable electoral solutions to Emerging and Developed Democracies to strengthen, augment, and build electoral stakeholders capacity and participation on electoral issues through electoral education on voter’s rights and freedom, electoral research, election monitoring, election observation, election results collation, election security awareness and training of polling agents and elections directors underscoring the fact that “elections are won at the polling stations’’ and the participation of all identifiable electoral stakeholders in an electoral process such as Political Parties, Governmental Institutions, underpinning transparency and accountability for a free, fair, and credible elections in Africa and the wider world.

Motto: “Integrity of Choice”

Source: Today.com.gh