GhanaElection 2008 The absent voters list prepared by Returning Officers for each polling station confirmed the name and particulars of these groups of voters and this serves as a check on double voting on an election day. The absent voters list prepared by the IT Department was dispatched to the regions on the eve of the main election, thus, making it extremely difficult for some polling stations to have their lists before the beginning of the polls. Proxy Voting Proxy voting is a facility extended to a registered voter who because of ill­health or absence from his constituency will be unable to present him/herself to vote on polling day to appoint somebody(proxy) to vote on his or her behalf by completing a form designed for that purpose. A voter who appoints a proxy cannot vote himself. The appointment of a proxy may however be cancelled by a voter if he or she becomes capable of voting himself or herself on the Election Day. This can be done by completing an appropriate form which prevents the proxy from voting, whether or not he or she is aware of the cancellation. Apart from the security agencies like the armed forces and the police who may collect proxy forms in large quantities upon request for their personnel serving on UN Missions abroad, most forms are collected individually. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs at times requests for some proxy forms for its staff abroad. These forms are completed and returned to their respective Returning Officers not less than fourteen days before the poll in their constituencies where they registered. A reasonable number of Muslim pilgrims during the 2008 elections also had the opportunity to exercise their franchise through the proxy facility. Physically Challenged Voters In its quest to ensure fairness to all manner of voters in the country, the Commission in the 2008 elections made provision for the visually impaired voters. The“Tactile Ballot” which had been pre-tested in the 2002 District Assembly elections as well as the 2004 General Elections was used to ensure that the visually impaired could go through the voting procedures by themselves. Balloting for Position on the Ballot Paper As has been the practice before the 2000 elections, placement of candidates on the ballot paper was determined largely on the ability of a 40