Stolen BVD won’t affect 2024 election – EC assures

The Electoral Commission (EC) of Ghana has reassured the public that the 2024 elections are secure despite the recent arrest of a man with a Biometric Verification Device (BVD) in Nsawam, near Accra.

It was emphasized by the EC that the electoral process cannot be compromised by a stolen or unauthorized BVD.

A statement was released on Sunday August 25,  2024 by the Commission in response to the arrest of 52-year-old Samuel Yaw Koranteng, who was discovered with a BVD believed to belong to the EC.

Although the incident is being taken seriously, it was made clear by the Commission that such devices, lacking the necessary technical and security protocols, are ineffective for manipulating election results.

The EC stated, “The possession of a BVD that has not gone through this rigorous process that is yet to happen for the 2024 Elections does not affect the integrity of the Elections.” I

t was underscored that each device is rigorously prepared and securely activated for specific elections. The multiple layers of security involved in the use of BVDs were detailed by the Commission, including the requirement of an Activation Code from the EC’s secure system, which is only accessible to authorized election officials. Without this code and the appropriate voter data, a BVD cannot function on election day.

Furthermore, it was clarified by the EC that BVDs are used solely for voter verification and not for casting votes, ensuring that even if a device were stolen, it would not impact the voting process.

The public was urged by the EC to maintain confidence in the security measures for the December 2024 elections, with assurances given that full cooperation with police investigations is being provided to determine how the device came into unauthorized hands.

The EC statement, signed by Samuel Tettey, Deputy Chairman, Operations said the  Commission undertakes a deliberate process of preparing BVDs for any election that ensures that ONLY BVDs that are prepared for a particular election can be used for that election.

It said this process is robust and is not vulnerable to manipulation and added that the  possession of a BVD that has not gone through this rigorous process that is yet to happen for the 2024 Elections does not affect the integrity of the Elections.

The statement noted that the “the voter verification application is designed such that it only works with data that is prepared, audited, encrypted, and signed by a Secure Process. Access to this process is highly restricted. Without access to this Secure Process, Voter Data cannot be generated to work with the BVD. 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.

“The BVD, as part of its Start-Up Process, checks for the integrity of the Data that is loaded onto it. If the Voter Data on the BVD has been altered in any way, the Start-Up Process is halted and the BVD will not work.
“Activation of the BVDs involves the use of Activation Codes that can only be downloaded from the EC’s Secure System. This system is restricted to Election Officials with the right Access Credentials. A BVD without its Activation Code cannot be used for the verification of Voters.
“The Data that is loaded onto the BVD must conform with the details of Voters on the Voters Register for each Polling Station. This data is not static and changes with every Election Cycle. Since the Voters Register for various Polling Stations for the 2024 Elections will be different from previous Elections, any data on a BVD that was activated for a previous Election will not conform with the Voters Register at the particular Polling Station on December 7, 2024”.