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The limited voters registration exercise by the Electoral Commission (EC) began smoothly on the first day yesterday, but with reports of low turnout at all the registration centres visited. The exercise targets those who were not able to register in previous registration exercises before the 2012 elections and those who turned 18 after the 2012 election. It will end on Wednesday, August 13, 2014 at 6,000 registration centres across the country. Most of the 18-year-olds who spoke to the Daily Graphic said their main reason for registering was to obtain the voters ID cards for other purposes, especially for opening bank accounts, instead of for voting. The exercise was originally scheduled for June 20-29 and later rescheduled for Friday, July 25 to Sunday, August 3 but had to commence yesterday because of the court action against the use of National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) cards for registration. Greater Accra Region The first day of the exercise was fraught with misunderstanding over challenges of those perceived to be unqualified voters at some centres in Accra. In three out of the eight centres the Daily Graphic visited, there were heated arguments over the ages, nationality, identification and residence of some of the people seeking to register. At the Abofu Presbyterian Basic School Registration Centre in the Okaikoi North Constituency, a parent and a party agent engaged in a verbal brawl over the age of a potential voter who the party agent insisted was not 18, report Seth J. Bokpe & Emmanuel Ebo Hawkson. Apparently, the party agent thought challenging a registrant meant that he or she would not be allowed to register. �What do you mean my son cannot register? I gave birth to him and I say he is 18,� the fuming mother insisted. When the Daily Graphic team was leaving the centre, the argument was not over, with the party agents and the registration officials yet to settle their differences. The story was no different at the Kotobabi Cluster of Schools in the Ayawaso East Constituency where an argument erupted over the residential status of a number of applicants whom a party agent claimed did not live in the area. At the Accra New Town Experimental School Registration Centre in the Ayawaso Central Constituency, four challenge forms had been issued challenging the age, identification and nationality of some applicants, reports Charles Andoh & Ruth A. Dankwah. The registration officer, Mr Abu Mohammed Sani, said one of the applicants was challenged because there was no semblance between the picture in his passport and himself. At all the registration centres the Daily Graphic visited, the number of people who were accompanied by guarantors as witnesses was more than those with the required identification items. At the Park Cinema Centre at Adabraka in the Korle Klottey Constituency, only three people had registered as of 9:30 a.m. At the Adwenbu Registration Centre at Mataheko in the Ablekuma Central Constituency, 18 people had registered as of 11 a.m. The highest turnout was at the Abofu Presbyterian Basic School, where 32 had registered as of 2:11 p.m. Twenty people had registered at the ATTC Centre in the Ayawaso Central Constituency as of 12:35 p.m. Upper East Region Vincent Amenuveve reports from the Bolgatanga municipality that some registration officials appealed to the EC, the Information Services Department (ISD) and the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE) to team up for a sensitisation campaign to raise awareness of the exercise. Their observation was that the postponement of the exercise had resulted in a significant number of people, particularly those who had just turned 18, forgetting about it, hence the need for public education to be intensified. At the Gumbisi Zongo Registration Centre, for instance, only two people, both 20, had registered as of 9:28 a.m. The registration officer, Mr Seidu Issahaku, stated that apart from a few challenges he had with a printing machine, all had been set for the exercise before 7 a.m. Ashanti Region Donald Ato Dapatem in Kumasi reports of a smooth start of the exercise in the region, but with a low turnout at the 15 centres visited by the Daily Graphic. In Kumasi, the challenge the EC had to grapple with was the absence of some trained officials who did not turn up due to the impromptu change of date for the exercise. However, Mr Justice Adu-Bosompem, the Deputy Supervisor in charge of Oforikrom, said the issue had been solved by the EC moving some officials from other centres to the places that were short of officials. As of 9 a.m., the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) Registration Centre had registered five persons. By 9:30 a.m., the Bomso Centre had registered only two persons, while the Oforikrom Centre had registered 20 people as of 11:30 a.m. Northern Region Zakaria Alhassan reports from Tamale that there was low turnout of applicants at the various registration centres in the metropolis. Although the exercise began at 8 a.m., some people could not locate their centres. As of 11:45 a.m, some of the centres had recorded a low number of applicants. For instance, at the Moshie Zongo Centre, only 11 people had registered at that time, while eight people had registered at the E.P. Church at Aboabo. The Choggu and Agric centres had also registered five and three persons, respectively, as of that time. Western Region In Takoradi, Andrews Tetteh reports that there was a smooth start of the exercise, with the two biggest political parties, the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and the New Patriotic Party (NPP) having their representatives at the centres. As of 11:13 a.m., only three people had registered at the Army School Ranch Barracks Centre in Takoradi. At the Presbyterian Primary School Centre, four people, comprising three males and a female, had registered as of the time the Daily Graphic visited the centre. Both Mr Albert Kinful and Mr Mustapha Mohammed, the lead representatives for the NPP and the NDC, respectively, said the process was running smoothly with no challenges.