Care for Free and Fair Elections Ghana has called for the adoption of the Ghana Card as the sole identification document for voting in all public elections and referenda in Ghana.

In a statement, the organisation said Ghana should transition from the current voter identification card system to an electoral identification framework based on the Ghana Card.

CARE Ghana argued that maintaining separate systems for national identification and voter identification has resulted in duplication of resources, administrative inefficiencies, recurring political disputes and additional costs to taxpayers.

According to the group, the Ghana Card has become the country's most comprehensive national identity document, containing biometric and demographic information and serving as the primary identification document for banking, passport acquisition, SIM registration, taxation and other public services.

The organisation said there was no justification for continuing to invest public resources in a separate voter identification system.

CARE Ghana believes using the Ghana Card as the sole voting credential would strengthen electoral transparency, reduce opportunities for electoral fraud and enhance public confidence in the electoral process.

It also argued that the move would help eliminate disputes that often arise during voter registration exercises and voter register compilations ahead of elections.

The group noted that voter registration exercises have become among the most politically contentious activities in Ghana's electoral calendar, often generating allegations of manipulation, voter suppression and disputes over eligibility requirements.

According to CARE Ghana, using the Ghana Card as the sole source document for electoral eligibility would help establish a more objective and verifiable system for determining voter qualification.

The organisation also highlighted what it described as the financial benefits of the reform, stating that Ghana spends millions of cedis on voter registration exercises, exhibition of voter registers, replacement of voter identification cards and related activities.

It suggested that resources saved could be redirected toward voter education, electoral technology, election security and other initiatives aimed at improving democratic governance.

CARE Ghana further stated that the adoption of the Ghana Card for voting would support the creation of a single national database for electoral purposes, improving accuracy, consistency and efficiency in voter identification and verification.

The organisation said every Ghanaian citizen who has attained the constitutional voting age and possesses a valid Ghana Card should qualify to vote, subject to the requirements of the Constitution and electoral laws.

It called on Parliament of Ghana, the Electoral Commission of Ghana, the National Identification Authority, political parties, civil society organisations and other stakeholders to begin discussions on the legislative changes required to make the Ghana Card the sole identification document for voting in Ghana.

The statement was signed by David Kumi Addo.