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The Electoral Commission (EC) of Ghana says victims of the Akosombo Dam spillage will be allowed to exercise their franchise without voters’ ID cards.
According to the Deputy Electoral Commission, Samuel Tettey, this is a measure the commission has adopted to ensure that victims who lost their ID cards due to the flood will not be disenfranchised in the 2024 elections.
Speaking at a press conference to address electoral roll and matter arising on Wednesday, he said, “as for other particulars, I can’t speak to that. If it is the voter ID card that you have lost and your name is properly entered into the register, you can still vote without the voter ID card.”
He explained that the electorates will have the task of ensuring that they are at the right polling station so that they can vote without any challenges.
“So whether you have the voter ID card or not, on the day of the election if you are able to know the polling station [that is all]. The difficulty is that if you go to the wrong polling station you are going to waste everybody’s time but if you go to the right polling station, your name will be on the register and you will be allowed to vote,” he added.
Meanwhile, many cooperations have extended support to alleviate the plight of the victims. Amongst them is the Vodafone Ghana Foundation.
Vodafone Ghana, through its Foundation and employee volunteers, undertook a visit to affected areas in Mepe in the Volta Region and Asuogyaman in the Eastern Region. They also donated relief items, including camp tents, treated mosquito nets, student mattresses, food supplies, and clean water.
Again, the United States government through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has provided $100,000 (GH¢1.1m) to the more than 31,000 people displaced by recent flooding.
The U.S. assistance will support the Ghana government’s relief efforts to save lives, reduce suffering, and begin recovery.
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.
