First-time voters have been admomished by Madam Ms. Rebecca Colecraft, Assistant Director in charge of Programs at the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE), to resist allowing politicians to persuade them to participate in violent actions during the 2024 elections.
She said that every Ghanaian who is 18 years of age or older has the constitutional right to vote, and that this right should be respected and not compromised.
According to the NCCE official, it’s also critical that first-time voters maintain their vigilance and guard their civic duties.
She said this at a youth civic engagement organised by Act for Change, a non-governmental organisation, for first-time voters in Gameshie, Ododiodoo constituency, Greater Accra, in collaboration with the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE) and with support from the European Union.
The engagement, held on Thursday, November 28, 2024, was on the theme ”Empowering First-Time Voters in Ga Mashie to Actively Participate in Governance.”
She said the major objective of the engagement was to educate the first-time voters on how to vote and why they needed to vote.
She also indicated that it was important because it provided young people with the opportunity to learn how to best evaluate the various promises of the candidates running for office and choose those that were consistent with our democratic aspirations and the growth of the country.
”So we are empowering the youth to understand that elections are not about violence but about policies and the opportunity provided by the constitution for voters to exercise their rights. You therefore have a responsibility to question those who approach you in search of political power. So, according to our matters of concern report, Ghanaians wanted some issues addressed, including education, graduate unemployment and job opportunities, healthcare, roads, the economy, and living conditions.
The other issue identified was indecent language in our political space, so we are educating the youth about the importance of campaigning on issues rather than insults. We also addressed spoilt and rejected ballots. We discovered that more than 300,000 ballots were rejected during the 2020 general elections. This is disturbing because it involves money, so we advised them on how to vote without spoiling their ballots.”
Ms. Colecraft stressed that ‘’that was the main objective of the engagement, and we concluded on the need to deal with misinformation, encouraging them to look out for fake news and avoid spreading them’’.
Holding leaders accountable, she added, was crucial, and Ghanaians are required to demand accountability from the people they voted for.
“After participating in the elections, it does not end there. Our democracy requires that you demand accountability from our elected officers. It is our responsibility to demand accountability from our duty bearers and ensure that they are delivering on their mandate so that Ghana will develop as we expect.”
By: Rainbowradioonline.com/Ghana