Special voting is taking place today, 5 December, in the Western and Eastern Regions following a postponement from its original date of Sunday, 2 December 2024.

The Electoral Commission (EC) rescheduled the exercise after uncovering a ballot paper leakage, a move taken to safeguard the integrity of the electoral process.

The EC acted swiftly by recalling and reprinting the compromised ballot papers.

During an emergency news conference on Sunday, 1 December, EC Chairperson Jean Mensa explained, "The recall was deemed necessary to ensure the voting process' integrity before the 2024 General Election."

This year’s special voting exercise spans 328 centres nationwide, accommodating 131,478 voters. T

hese include members of the security services, media personnel, and election officials, who cast their votes ahead of the general election to enable them to perform their duties on polling day.

Speaking on Wednesday, 4 December, Dr Bossman Asare, Deputy Chairperson of the EC, affirmed the Commission’s preparedness for the rescheduled voting.

"The Electoral Commission is very much ready for the special voting tomorrow [Thursday]. All the materials that are required for the elections have been dispatched to the two regions, that is the Western Region and the Eastern Region," he stated.

Dr Asare highlighted the importance of the exercise, urging registered special voters to participate. "We do expect that all those who are special voters in these two regions, regardless of where they are located now, will be able to make it to their special voting centres," he noted.

He revealed that 33 voting centres have been designated in the Eastern Region and 17 in the Western Region.

Dr Asare also stressed that those who miss today’s exercise will forfeit their chance to vote, as no alternative arrangements will be made on the general election day, 7 December.