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An officer of the Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS) has reportedly been arrested in the Walewale constituency of the North East Region for allegedly taking a picture of his ballot paper during the ongoing special voting exercise.
Jadam Boakye, a local reporter, told Pulse News that the incident occurred between 11:00 a.m. and midday at the Electoral Commission’s (EC) municipal office in the West Mamprusi Municipality.
According to him, the officer, whose name has been withheld, attempted to photograph his ballot paper after casting his vote for the presidential election. This drew the attention of party agents, who called for his arrest.
The Ghana Police Service in the area has commenced investigations into the incident.
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Meanwhile, the Electoral Commission (EC) has issued a strong warning to the public against photographing ballot papers. In a brief communiqué to media houses, the Commission stated:
Every ballot paper is unique and has a unique serial number. People who take photos of their ballots and share them risk being easily identified. The serial number can help investigators trace the said ballot paper to the specific polling station.
The notice further explained:
Since no polling station exceeds 750 voters, it would be easy to identify the specific ballot paper. As we use thumbprints to vote and all voters’ biometric data is with the EC, investigators can easily narrow it down to the voter. Please, voters, don’t break the law thinking you can’t be found out!
Meanwhile, the special voting exercise continues at polling centres across the 14 regions nationwide.