Election 2024: Ballot paper shortage hits Yendi constituency

Summary: A shortage of ballot papers in Yendi, Ghana, has been reported ahead of the country's 2024 election, with both the National Democratic Congress and the New Patriotic Party expressing concerns over discrepancies in the number of ballots delivered as against the figures they were given. The Electoral Commission has acknowledged the issue, attributing the shortage to possible transportation mix-ups.

A shortage of ballot papers has hit Yendi, causing a stir among political parties. Suhuyini Saharan, a Joy News reporter said that the National Democratic Congress (NDC) alleged that some ballot papers were missing after being collected from the Electoral Commission (EC) and transported through the regional and constituency distribution channels.

NDC officials claimed that the data they received at the national level did not match the number of ballots delivered to Yendi, raising suspicions of a discrepancy in the distribution of electoral materials. They explained that when the materials arrived in Yendi, they noticed there were fewer ballot papers than expected, which led to extensive discussions before a resolution was reached.

The New Patriotic Party (NPP) also expressed concerns about the discrepancy. An NPP representative noted that they were given different figures from what was actually delivered, calling it a confusing situation.

In response to these growing concerns, a Director of the Electoral Commission (EC), speaking to Suhuyini Saharan, acknowledged the issue but suggested that a mix-up might have occurred during transportation.

“The materials came sealed and intact, so it’s difficult to determine where the problem lies,” he said. “We cannot rule out the possibility of a shortage, but we need to wait until all the bags are sorted before jumping to conclusions.”

The EC director called for patience, urging all parties to allow time for further investigation before drawing any final conclusions.

After a lengthy meeting lasting about an hour, the political parties agreed on a temporary solution to address the shortage. The decision was made to increase the number of polling agents at various stations to three.

“Since we couldn’t locate the missing ballots, the best course of action was to add more polling agents,” explained a senior party official. “This way, we can ensure that any ballot books arriving in the bags from the national level are properly accounted for and do not end up in the ballot boxes.”

Last Updated on June 20, 2025 by samboad