July 28th, 2020 at 06:19 pm
As the country successfully progresses into another phase of the Voters
Registration exercise, the Electoral Commission has noted with much satisfaction the massive improvement in the observation of social distancing protocols across all registration centres in the country.
Compiling a Voters Register to ensure credible elections while at the same time working to keep citizens safe from the COVID-19 pandemic are both vital objectives that can be effectively balanced using innovative systems.
The Electoral Commission is therefore introducing an additional technology tool for the ongoing registration exercise, the upcoming exhibition of the Voters Register and potentially for future elections, with the goal of further enhancing compliance with social distancing rules.
The new digital system will enable prospective applicants to book a slot in a PRIORITY QUEUE from the comfort of their homes.
Following approval by the national COVID-19 management authorities, the national COVID-19 Tracking system has been confirmed as the channel for the new technology tool.
A) USING A SHORTCODE
To book a PRIORITY QUEUE slot before visiting your local registration centre,
i. Dial *769#
ii. Select option 3 (event management),
iii. Choose option 1 to “check in to event or venue”
iv. Enter your registration centre code and wait for a text message with details of a slot in the priority queue at your local registration centre.
The strategy is to limit the number of people that visit the registration centres at any given time. While applicants have the option to use the current manual chit system, the EC encourages applicants to go digital.
The Commission is optimistic that this new approach will help decongest the registration centres for the safety of both its Officials and applicants.
It must be noted however, that social distancing does not replace the use of masks and sanitizers. All measures outlined by the national COVID-19 steering team, work in tandem to provide the greatest safety for all.
B) BOOKING ONLINE
Applicants with smartphone access can visit PanaBIOS.org to sign up for an account and follow the prompts for event registration to book a priority spot just in the same way that the USSD option works. Applicants can also search for the registration centre codes on the same PanaBIOS platform. Plans are far advanced to make it possible for registration centre codes to be obtainable from the national COVID-19 hotline, 311, the EC’s website and through media publication.
ABOUT THE PLATFORM
The PanaBIOS platform (www.panabios.org) is a pan-African “safe reopening of countries” technology application, developed as part of the African Union’s Open Corridor Initiative.
Ghana is a pioneer country in the development, testing and deployment of thePanaBIOS system through the country’s Trancop Initiative (www.trancop.org). PanaBIOS is the first reference model of the African Union’s Digital Biosurveillance, Bioscreening & Biosensing protocol (DABBIT).
Ghana’s Electoral Commission is the first electoral management bodies in the world to implement a digital decongestion protocol based on a bio screening standard for electoral purposes.
The new technology will be available for use at registration centres in the following districts in the Greater Accra Region; Ayawaso West, Tema Metro, La Dadekotopon and Ga North beginning Wednesday, 29th July 2020.