Bolgatanga: Low turnout characterized Day 1 and 2 of Exhibition of Biometric Voters Register

Story: Benjamin Xornam Glover, Bolgatanga The first two days of the ongoing exhibition of the Biometric Voters Register in the Bolgatanga central constituency of the Upper East Region was characterized by low turnout by prospective voters. A visit to about twenty exhibition centers out of the over 130 polling stations in the Bolgatanga Municipality showed an average of about 20 persons turning up to verify their details in the new voters register on day one of the exercise which is being carried out by the Electoral Commission. For instance, at about 1 pm on Saturday when the Daily Graphic got to the House of Chiefs exhibition center only 15 people out of 607 registered voters had come to check their details. Mr. Vincent Atoringe the Exhibition Officer at centre said being the first day of the 10 day exercise, such low turnout are to be anticipated. He said being the farming season,most of the people might have gone to their farms but was optimistic that as the days go by, attendance will improve. At the Presby Primary A center, the officer in charge said on day one of the exercise , 33 people out of a total of 779 registered voters had come to check their details. The situation at centre B of the same exhibition centre was rather not encouraging. Out of a total o 305 registered voters, only 7 had come to check their details. A heavy downpour on Sunday which started at dawn right through the morning to the afternoon affected turnout as a visit to some more centers saw exhibition officers in a relaxed mode due the absent of people to check their details. In spite of the low turnout in the first few days of the exercise, Mr Oscar Apemah, Bolgatanga Municipal Director of Electoral Commission, said from the point of view of his outfit, the average of 20 to 25 voters on the first day of the exercise was encouraging. He was however optimistic that the remaining days will see many people turning up to check and correct any anomaly in th new biometric voters register. -end-