Ghana EC adds liveness detection to prevent voter verification fraud

The Electoral Commission of Ghana (EC) has announced the incorporation of a liveness detection feature into its biometric voter verification system to prevent the illegal transfer of voters from one polling station to another ahead of the country’s presidential election on December 7.

The EC announced this novelty in a recent press conference in the wake of a report that the names of some registered voters were illegally transferred from three polling stations to others in the Sagnerigu and Tamale South constituencies without their knowledge or consent.

The press conference was an opportunity for the EC to disclose information on an investigation which it led into the incident as well as a general update on matters arising from a biometric voter registration exercise which took place in the country in May.

Speaking at the press conference, Dr Bossman Eric Asare, deputy Chairman of the EC for Corporate Services, said preliminary investigations by the EC showed the transfer of 38 voters was done from polling stations in violation of the EC’s Constitutional Instrument provisions.

“The law requires that a registered voter must be physically present in the event of a transfer [of their name] to another polling station, and such transfer can only be done at the district offices and the voter must be verified using either his or her face or fingerprint,” said Asare.

He said the illegal transfer was done with the help of the individuals’ ID cards as the photos of the voters from their voter ID cards were used for voter verification and to effect the transfers.

To avert such an occurrence in the future, Asare said they were introducing liveness detection: “Following this incident, the commission has introduced a liveness check in the verification process, which is a feature designed to ensure that the biometric data being captured is from a live, present human being and not from a spoofed source such as a photograph which is what was done in this case. The liveness check has since been built into the system to prevent any such future occurrence.”

The EC official used the press conference to reiterate the agency’s commitment to organising free and credible elections. He said the body is continuing its investigations on the matter to ensure that the practice of illegal voter transfers is not widespread, and it will inform the public accordingly once the findings have been concluded.

“Any such transfers will be reversed and the perpetrators will be made to face justice for their actions,” he affirmed.

As the EC continues with its preparations for the general elections in December, it has faced a couple of challenges related to its biometric voter registration and verification system.

In a statement at the end of last month, the EC also addressed an incident concerning an individual who was arrested in possession of a biometric verification device.

The body assured the public that the incident doesn’t portend any danger for the integrity of the elections, just like it argued in the face of an earlier incident of laptops reportedly stolen from voter registration kits.

Article Topics

Africa  |  biometric liveness detection  |  biometrics  |  elections  |  Ghana  |  identity verification  |  voter registration