The Electoral Commission (EC) has reassured the public that the integrity of the 2024 General Elections remains intact despite reports of a stolen Biometric Verification Device (BVD).
In a statement signed by Samuel Tettey, Deputy Chairman of Operations, the EC emphasized, “A stolen BVD cannot jeopardise the integrity of the 2024 Elections,” adding that the device lacks the necessary technical configurations and security protocols.
The EC revealed that five laptops, part of its Biometric Voter Registration (BVR) Kits, were stolen from its storage in April 2024. Additionally, five BVDs were vandalized, and two were stolen during the December 2023 District Level Elections in the Tarkwa Nsuaem and North Tongu Districts.
The Commission clarified, “This process is robust and is not vulnerable to manipulation. The possession of a BVD that has not gone through this rigorous process that is yet to happen for the 2024 election does not affect the integrity of the election.”
“The voter verification application is designed to operate only with data that has been prepared, audited, encrypted, and signed through a secure process,” the EC stated. They stressed that access to this secure process is highly restricted, making it impossible for unauthorized individuals to generate voter data compatible with the BVD.
Furthermore, the Commission explained, “The data that is loaded onto the BVDs are set to be activated for a particular Election Day. A stolen BVD, therefore, cannot work in the December 2024 Elections.” They noted that if any alterations to voter data are detected during the device’s start-up process, the BVD will automatically halt operations.
The EC also stated, “The activation of the BVDs will involve the use of activation codes that can only be downloaded from the EC’s Secure System, and that system has been restricted to election officials with the right access credentials.” Without these codes, a stolen device cannot be used.
Additionally, the EC highlighted, “Since the voters register for polling stations for the 2024 General Election will be different from previous elections, any data on a BVD that was activated for a previous election would not conform with the voters register at the particular polling station on 7 December 2024.”
The EC reiterated its commitment to a free, fair, and transparent electoral process, assuring Ghanaians that all security measures are in place to protect the integrity of the upcoming elections.
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 has reassured the public that the integrity of the 2024 General Elections remains intact despite reports of a stolen Biometric Verification Device (BVD).In a statement signed by Samuel Tettey, Deputy Chairman of Operations, the EC emphasized, "A stolen BVD cannot jeopardise the integrity of the 2024 Elections," adding that the device lacks the necessary technical configurations and security protocols.){kind=link}