Is technology used for identifying voters at polling stations (electronic poll books)?
Ghana
Article 30 of the public elections regulations, 2012 C.I 75 provides that the presiding officer may before delivering a ballot paper to a person who is to vote at the election, require the person to produce a voter identification card or any other evidence determined by the commission in order to establish by finger print or facial recognition that the person is the registered voter whose name and voter identification number and particulars appear in the register http://aceproject.org/ero-en/regions/africa/GH/ghana-public-elections-regulations-2012-c.i.-75/view
Page 29 of the Common Wealth Secretariat Ghana 2012 Presidential and parliamentary election observation report the voting procedures in Ghana elections which are as follows:
1.Voters present voters card to the Names Reference List Officer who finds their details on the names reference list
2. The list identifies the page number and location of the voter’s details on the voters register
3. The Names Reference List Officer informs the biometric verification officer of the page number of the voter in the voters register
4. The Biometric Verification Officer scans the bar code on the elector’s voters card and compares the details brought up on the biometric verification device(BVR) against the voters card and compares the photo with the voter.
5. The voter then places a finger on the BVD for verification purposes. If the match is successful, then the BVD will flash green and announce verified. If there is no match it flashes red and announces rejected
6. The voters’ details on the main register are marked by crossing lines through a bar code entry, indicating they have voted and preventing the barcode being re-used. Elections. http://secretariat.thecommonwealth.org/document/190591/191180/176283/177819/253196/2012_ghana_elections_final_report.htm
