Stakeholders bemoan high rate of rejected vote cast after elections

There has been an increase in demand by stakeholders in the Upper East Region for institutions responsible for elections to intensify education on the processes involved in elections in order to reduce if not prevent spoiled or rejected ballot papers in the Region.

The Upper East Region recorded 19,611 rejected votes out of the total of 570, 943 registered voters in the 2012 general elections. whiles the total number 14,158,890 who were registered nationwide, 11,246,982 turned out to vote and 251,720 were rejected votes cast.

This, some stakeholders attribute to lack of education on elections process and are therefore calling for an intensified education ahead of the November elections.

These concerns were raised after a stakeholders meeting was organized by TEERE an NGO based in the Upper East Region under the auspices of STAR Ghana on a project dubbed "MINIMAX” which aims at minimizing spoiled ballot papers and increasing valid votes as well as voter turnout.

Regional Communications Director of the NPP, Edmond Awuni indicated that over the past years a deaf ear has been paid to the number of rejected ballot papers that were recorded in 2012 and it is a wake-up call for the political parties not to only rely on the NCCE but train their agents to Educate Voters on how to vote.

"Over the years, we have actually paid a blind eye to those things but the 2012 elections gave as a wake-up call regarding the number of rejected ballots that we encountered and I think it was something that was appalling based on that, we are trying to make some education drive that would go down to the various Electoral areas and Polling stations and we would make sure we train our people to Educate Voters on how to vote." He said

He added that the low turnout that have been experienced every year should not be left to the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE) but he expected the NCCE to come out clear as to whether there is enough logistics for the exercise so that if they are not enough they would call on government to provide adequate funding for the education ahead of the elections because it is their core mandate.

Upper East Regional Chairman of the Conventions Peoples’ Party, Hussaini Ibrahim, said the meeting with TEERE has provide an insight about how voting processes as a result of the contributions by the electoral commission which was part of the meeting and they would return to their various Constituencies to educate voters on the elections processes in order to reduce spoiled ballot papers in the upcoming elections.

"I feel this meeting we had today organized by TEERE and STAR Ghana it would go a long way to help us have more insight into what is happening so when we go back, we would rather communicate back to our various constituencies that this is the way to go but we have been doing it but TEERE come as a timely intervention for us to move forward in this elections’’ he noted.

Deputy Upper East Regional Director of NCCE, Mr. Joseph Kweku Yeboah assured that his outfit has been working assiduously but among the factors that lead to the increase spoiled ballot papers as a result of high illiteracy rate of voters across the country, adding that there is the need for dummy papers to be used to educate Voters effectively so that they can vote properly during elections.

"We need to go to the field with dummy ballot papers and show people how we vote so you explain to them, they see it, they hear it, and then they go through the process of the ballot boxes so that they would be able to do it on the voting day. But most of the times, education is done on FM stations…education is done on the Television, they see …they hear, but they don’t participate, so they forget ...so I think that there is the need for us to move to the communities with dummy ballot papers and we take them through how the voting is properly done’’ he stated

Mr. Yeboah however, expressed optimism that with the education ongoing, spoiled and rejected ballots papers would be reduced in the upcoming elections.

Meanwhile, Project Coordinator of TEERE, Richmond Apotiga added that the "MINIMAX’’ project targets at Minimizing rejected ballot papers, and Maximizing votes cast hence, education on the voting process would be intensified in this year’ elections in various ways in the communities.

"TEERE in collaboration with STAR Ghana has actually trained some Field Officers whom we have sent to Bongo District and Bolga Municipality ,we are working in 50 communities in Bongo and 50 in Bolga Municipality, so these officers are currently going from house to house and then meeting Churches, Mosque, Prayer Grounds and Group Meetings in the communities.. They go round those areas to meet them and educate them’’ he explained

Mr. Apotiga also added that their focus is also on improving the participation in a voting of Persons Living with Disabilities (PWDs) in the communities. TEERE established in 2014, currently works in four Thematic areas; Local Government, Culture, Women Empowerment and Education.

And the one day workshop was attended by various stakeholders from the EC, NCCE , Information Services, Security Services, officials from Bolga Municipal and Bongo District Assembly, Traditional rulers, and the various Political Parties.