By Dr. Serebour Quaicoe, the Director of Electoral Services at the Electoral Commission, has provided reassurance that the ongoing limited voter registration process is now running smoothly following initial challenges.
Speaking on Joy FM’s Super Morning Show on Tuesday, May 14, Dr. Quaicoe emphasized that all initial obstacles have been effectively resolved. He noted significant improvements in the system since the registration commenced on May 7.
“On the first day, we registered around 16,000 individuals. However, we are now processing over 40,000 registrations, indicating substantial progress,” Dr. Quaicoe remarked. He highlighted that the commission had projected to register around 623,000 individuals, and as of the sixth day, they had registered 251,000, which surpassed one-third of the target.
Acknowledging challenges with internet connectivity during the initial two days of registration, Dr. Quaicoe attributed the issues primarily to online registration procedures. He clarified that online registration requires a direct link to the data center for real-time communication, while offline registration involves subsequent data upload, leading to verification delays.
Dr. Quaicoe highlighted the drawbacks of offline registration, notably its inability to detect double registrations, which has led to a preference for online processes among EC staff.
He further clarified that offline registration is only utilized in cases of connectivity issues. He emphasized that registration procedures historically involve a blend of online and offline methods, depending on connectivity availability.
“So it is always the combination of online and offline depending on the availability of connectivity?.”
“Because of the poor internet in some areas, people can’t register online, so they choose offline registration instead”he noted.
