The student leadership of the University of Ghana (UG) has raised concerns over the potential disenfranchisement of its students in the 2024 general elections.

In a press conference held on Tuesday, June 4, 2024, the Junior Common Room (JCR) President of Jean Nelson Aka Hall, George Annor Ansah, highlighted the challenges students are facing in the electioneering process presently and called for immediate intervention by the Electoral Commission (EC).

According to the student leader, many students were unable to participate in the Limited Voter Registration Exercise due to logistical challenges.

"I want to state emphatically that a lot of students were not able to register because anytime they go to the registration centre, they join a long queue, and when it is 6:00 pm, the EC tells them that the system has shut down and that after 6:00 pm they won’t be able to access it.

“That has affected a lot of students. You are looking at huge numbers here because they were unable to register.

“We have a lot of students texting us on how they are going to register. If we are not careful, we will disenfranchise all these students,” he said.

He also explained that the ongoing voter transfer exercise has further compounded their difficulties, as students struggle to travel from campus to the district EC offices to participate.

“Now, fast forward, we’re doing the voter transfer, which is another important part of this process.

“And for this, we do not have a centre at the University of Ghana campus where other schools within the constituency can come and transfer their votes.

“On 7 December, 2024, students will be on campus, and we will have levels 100, 200, 300, and 400 all on campus, as well as graduate students.

“Looking at the academic calendar around that time, there may be exams, and it won’t be advisable for students to travel all the way to their hometowns to vote.

“It will be more advisable for students to vote on campus because they would be in school, and it will be easier for them to access the polling station,” he stated.

The student leadership, comprising JCR presidents, departmental presidents, executives, association heads, Students Representatives Council (SRC) aspirants, and former student leaders, are, therefore, calling for the establishment of EC centres on campus.

This centre, according to them, will facilitate the voter registration and transfer processes for students, ensuring they can exercise their democratic rights without missing lectures or enduring lengthy travels.

“The district EC office is not even located in the Ayawaso West Wuogon constituency; students will have to go all the way to Ridge to complete the transfer.

“Students spend so much time at Ridge and miss lectures, but if there were a centre on campus, students could go to lectures and still come back to transfer their vote.

“We are asking for one thing: we need a centre right here on campus where students can easily transfer their vote.

“And also, the EC should consider having another limited registration exercise so that students who were not able to register can register,” he added.

Ghanaian musician, Maradona Yeboah Adjei, popularly known as Guru, who is also a student of UG and aspiring for SRC president, said they are trying to nullify their partIf care is not taken, a lot of students would be disenfranchise - UG student leadership tells EC

The student leadership of the University of Ghana (UG) has raised concerns over the potential disenfranchisement of students in the 2024 general elections.

In a press conference held on Tuesday, June 4, 2024, the Junior Common Room (JCR) President of Jean Nelson Aka Hall George Annor Ansah, highlighted the challenges students face in the current voter registration process and called for immediate intervention by the Electoral Commission (EC).

According to the student leader, many students were unable to participate in the limited voter registration exercise due to logistical challenges.

"I want to state emphatically that a lot of students were not able to register because anytime they go to the registration centre, they join a long queue, and when it is 6:00 pm, the EC tells them that the system has shut down and that after 6:00 pm they won’t be able to access it.

“That has affected a lot of students. You are looking at huge numbers here because they were unable to register.

“We have a lot of students texting us on how they are going to register. If we are not careful, we will disenfranchise all these students,” he said.

He explained that the ongoing voter transfer exercise has further compounded their difficulties, as students struggle to travel from campus to the district EC offices.

“Now, fast forward, we’re doing the voter transfer, which is another important part of this process.

“And for this, we do not have a centre at the University of Ghana campus where other schools within the constituency can come and transfer their votes.

“On 7 December, 2024, students will be on campus, and we will have levels 100, 200, 300, and 400 all on campus, as well as graduate students.

“Looking at the academic calendar around that time, there may be exams, and it won’t be advisable for students to travel all the way to their hometowns to vote.

“It will be more advisable for students to vote on campus because they would be in school, and it will be easier for them to access the polling station,” he stated.

The student leadership, comprising JCR Presidents, Departmental Presidents, Executives, Association Heads, Students Representatives Council (SRC) aspirants, and former student leaders, are calling for the establishment of EC centre on campus.

This centre according to them would facilitate the voter registration and transfer processes for students, ensuring they can exercise their democratic rights without missing lectures or enduring lengthy travels.

“The district EC office is not even located in the Ayawaso West Wuogon constituency; students will have to go all the way to Ridge to complete the transfer.

“Students spend so much time at Ridge and miss lectures, but if there were a centre on campus, students could go to lectures and still come back to transfer their vote.

“We are asking for one thing: we need a centre right here on campus where students can easily transfer their vote.

“And also, the EC should consider having another limited registration exercise so that students who were not able to register can register,” he added.

Ghanaian musician, Maradona Yeboah Adjei, popularly known as Guru, who is also a student of UG and aspiring for SRC president, said they are trying to nullify their participation in the elections.

“These are the leaders of the country in years to come, so if you don’t consider anything they decide on, it means you are trying to nullify their interest and also their participation in the voting.

“So, I think it must be considered in another way. These are the leaders of the country in years to come, so if you don’t consider anything they decide on, it means you are trying to nullify their interest and also their participation in the voting.

“So, I think it must be considered in another way,” he stated.

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