Video of man stuffing ballot papers just to tarnish our image and credibility; disregard it — EC

The Electoral Commission (EC) has disputed a video circulating on social media showing ballot stuffing at a polling station in the recent by-election in Ejisu Constituency.

The video depicts a man stuffing ballot papers into a ballot box in an enclosed space.

However, the EC says the video has "nothing to do with the operations of Ghana's Electoral Commission let alone the Ejisu by-election."

In a press statement dated May 2, Deputy Chairman for Operations Mr. Samuel Tettey listed several reasons why the EC believes the video is unrelated to Ghana.

"The vest the Ghana Electoral Commission uses for its operations is blue. The official in the video is wearing a green vest. The second person seen in the video is wearing an orange vest. As stated, the Electoral Commission of Ghana uses a blue vest for its Operation Staff," Mr. Tettey said.

The commission again noted that Ghanaian polling stations are always situated in open spaces, unlike the enclosed area shown.

Furthermore, each Ghanaian polling station had at least six police officers as well as party agents present, which was not depicted.

Mr. Tettey added that Ghanaian ballot boxes are clearly labelled with the polling station name and code, whereas the box in the video bore no labels.

The election management body further pointed out there was only one ballot box used per station in Ejisu, not two as seen.

"We urge the public to disregard the video. It is aimed at tarnishing the image and credibility of Ghana's Electoral Commission. The events in the video did not occur in Ghana. It has nothing to do with the Electoral Commission of Ghana," the deputy chairman stated.

The EC has called on Ghanaians to fact-check information with the commission directly, to avoid spreading misinformation as the country prepares for national elections in 2024.