The Electoral Commission (EC) has kicked-off the pilot registration exercise for the Biometric Voters’ ID cards in the Ayawaso Central sub-metropolis. The pilot registration, which will last for four days started on Saturday February 25 and will end on Tuesday February 28, 2012. The pilot exercise is to enable the EC test its equipment for the Biometric Voters’ Registration exercise. In an interview with Joy News TV, the District Electoral Commissioner of Ayawaso, Abdul Rashid, said the exercise will help the EC identify and find solutions to possible challenges that might emerge in the course of the Biometric registration exercise expected to commence nationwide soon. Mr. Rashid indicated that at the time of the interview, no challenges had been encountered and expressed the hope that the exercise was going to run smoothly. He said the ID cards printed out during the exercise are not being issues out to the participants as they were not the main ID cards to be used for the December polls and would not want people to avoid the main registration exercise thinking they already have their valid Biometric Voters’ ID cards. The exercise, which is currently ongoing at the Saint Kizito Catholic Church premises in Nima from 7:00am to 6:00pm daily is also taking place at the Kamina Primary School at the Kamina Barracks in Tamale and at the Tali R/C Primary School in the Tolon/Kumbungu District of the Northern region. The upcoming Biometric Voter’s registration is a complete replacement of the existing Voters Register which will render the current Voter ID Cards non valid. Eligible voters will have their ten fingerprints captured digitally and would also be required to provide their bio-data. Applicants who have lost some fingers will have the prints of their available fingers captured and verified as such on Election Day while special arrangements would be made for the registration of people who do not have any fingers at all and their photographs taken. The nationwide registration would be carried out in phases at all polling stations in the country and eligible voters are expected to go to the polling stations nearest to where they live to be registered during the main exercise, which begins on Saturday March 24 and ends on Saturday April 5, 2012.