Blame rejected ballots on drunkenness - Adeenze-Kangah

Drink-voting has been identified as one of the crucial factors responsible for the staggering figures of rejected ballots regularly recorded at general elections in Ghana.

A member of the Council of State and former Deputy Chairman of the Electoral Commission (EC), David Adeenze-Kangah, pointed this out during the celebration of the International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking held in Bolgatanga, Upper East regional capital.

“In Ghana, many people have been complaining that there are many spoilt ballots. And we are not taking the time to analyse why the ballots, several of them, are spoilt. One of the causes is drunkenness. Somebody is drunk. They give him the ballot paper.

“When he sees this one, he thinks that is the person (his preferred candidate). He would mark. Then, suddenly, he would see that it is not this one; it’s the next one. Then, he would mark that one, too. As soon as he marks the two, then, the ballot is spoilt. And that can come about because of alcohol,” he underscored.

The event was organised by Life out of Alcohol and Drugs Ghana (LOAD Ghana) in partnership with the Basic Needs Ghana.

Drink-voting also blamed for electoral violence The significant role alcohol consumption plays at polls across the country is not limited to just seeing spoilt ballot papers bunched up into balls and, with the rapidity their disposal deserves, thrown out of ballot boxes.

Some of the pockets of violence that often come with electoral processes in the country, according to the former EC Deputy Chair, also strongly have their roots in drink-voting.

“When you get drunk and you go to the polling station, you are likely to cause violence. Imagine that somebody went in the morning and got himself drunk. When he goes to the polling station, he is likely to disagree with almost everybody. Within a short time, he would begin to abuse people.

“People would get irritated. When they take him on, his support group may jump to his defence. In the end, we have one group here quarreling or fighting another group. People may start using sticks and what not. That’s what we call violence,” explained Mr. Adeenze-Kangah, who was the guest speaker at the event.

866,817 votes rejected from 2008 to 2012

The general elections held in 2008 and 2012, put together, saw 866, 817 votes rejected. The figure represents 1.76% of the 49,071,047 total votes cast at the two general elections.

The Northern Region had the highest number of rejected votes throughout the country at the 2012 general elections. 34, 978, representing 3.44% of the total votes cast in the presidential, and 26,188, representing 2.56% in the parliamentary, were rejected there.

The Ashanti Region is second on the table of the rejected ballots with 29,373 votes, representing 1.34% in the presidential, and 20, 692 votes, representing 0.94% in the parliamentary, rejected. Brong Ahafo follows with 27,571 votes (2.7%) in the presidential and 18,183 votes (1.45%) in the parliamentary discarded.

27,515 votes, representing 2.5% in the presidential, and 20,277 votes (1.84%) in the parliamentary were rejected in the Western Region. The Central Region comes next with 26,360 (2.7%) votes in the presidential and 17,557 votes (1.81%) in the parliamentary disallowed. The Eastern Region is sixth on the table. It had 25,673 (2.2%) in the presidential and 18,236 (1.58%) of the total votes cast rejected.

The Volta Region had 24,121 (2.7%) of the presidential votes and 15,624 (1.80%) of the parliamentary ballot papers thrown out, whilst the Greater Accra Region also 22,390 (1%) of the presidential votes and 16,566 (0.76%) of the parliamentary ballot papers thrown away. In the Upper East Region, the 2012 elections with 19,611 (4.5%) of the votes cast in the presidential and 13,084 (3.02%) in the parliamentary rejected. And the Upper West Region had the lowest number of rejected votes on the table, with 14,128 (4.7%) in the presidential and 11, 376 (3.81%) discarded.

111,108 votes (1.53%) were rejected at the 1996 polls. The 2000 elections (first round) saw 119,362 (1.8%) of the total votes cast dumped. In 2004, 188, 123 votes (2.13%) were rejected. The first round of the 2008 elections produced 205,438 (2.36%) rejected votes and in 2012, 251, 720 (2.23%) votes were dropped.

November polls: Government cautions against liquor

Concerns over the mess alcohol abuse can wreck on democracy and political stability dominated the anti-drug day celebration in Bolgatanga.

The Upper East Regional Minister, Albert Abongo, who was the guest of honour at the event, cautioned the citizenry against excessive consumption of liquor particularly as the country braced itself for the November polls.

“As we are in the election year, I have no doubt that the abuse of alcohol and illicit drugs prior to the election or during an election can lead to indiscipline. So, I urge you all to let us work towards a peaceful election,” the Regional Minister entreated.

He also commended LOAD Ghana, Basic Needs Ghana and the Paramount Chief of the Builsa Traditional Area, Nab Azagsuk Azantilow, for the commitment exhibited so far in the war against alcohol and illicit drugs.

“Socio-cultural practices in our region and country such as festivals, refreshment during communal labour, changing family structure, media advertisement and peer pressure are some of the factors that influence drug abuse. It is disheartening that during these functions, children and the youth are influenced by drugs and alcohol,” the Regional Minister observed.

He added: “I want to use this medium to appeal to parents, guardians and opinion leaders to provide adequate care and attention for children in our communities to discourage them from engaging in drug abuse and alcohol use. We need a concerted effort to approach these issues to help the youth out of this menace.”

Chief offers exit steps

The Paramount Chief of the Builsa Traditional Area, Nab Azagsuk Azantilow, who delivered a speech on the theme “Drugs and Alcohol: a Recipe for Election Violence” at the programme, offered four steps he said the country should take to win the drug war.

“We need to find strategies of curbing election violence which can be fuelled by drugs and alcohol. We need to find strategies of making Ghana an unattractive destination for drug traffickers. We need to provide centres to rehabilitate our youth who have become victims of drug abuse. We need to find ways and means of abolishing the sale and drinking of akpeteshie,” he advocated.

The global theme for this year’s celebration of the International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking is: “Listen First: Drug Prevention among the Youth and Children.” Traditional leaders, heads of departments and agencies as well as schoolchildren from a number of schools in the regional capital, bearing placards with anti-drug slogans, took part in the celebration.

The Executive Director of LOAD Ghana, Roger Abaa Atambire, addressing the gathering, indicated that his organisation, though young and still under-resourced, would not relent in the anti-drug combat.

“LOAD Ghana is a very young NGO in the Upper East Region, but leading the fight against drug and to create a drug-free society that supports our talented youths to actualise their dreams of becoming our future leaders. The youth sees alcohol as part of life; if you don’t do alcohol, you are not a guy. That is why I am so passionate about this day. If all of us come together as a people to fight alcohol in this country, we would emerge victoriously,” Mr. Atambire stressed.