Women advised to vote on issues

The West Akyem Municipal Director of the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE), Madam Modesta Annie Sapaty, has advised women to vote wisely by basing their votes not on personalities or any other consideration, but on issues well analysed and logically thought of.

“Voting in this present day and age without primarily focusing on issues renders that ballot a wasted one,” she said.

She was speaking at a day’s forum organised by the NCCE for the Asamankese Tomatoes and Vegetable Sellers Association to discuss some civic and voter education-related issues, bordering on their welfare.

Some of the topics discussed centred on the right to vote and how to vote correctly so as to reduce the incidence of rejected ballots, voting steps, tolerance before, during and after elections, dos and don’ts during elections, and, above all, voting on issues.

The outreach programme was part of a nationwide planned civic and voter education activities for the 2016 general election ongoing  in all 216 administrative districts of the country, with support from the European Union (EU), aimed at deepening and consolidating Ghana’s democracy.

Similar outreach programmes have been lined up to cover faith-based organisations (FBOs), Persons with Disabilities (PWDs), women’s groups, artisan groups, first-time voters and other identifiable groups.

Valid votes

Participants were also taught how to cast clean and valid votes to reduce cases of spoilt ballots. 

Madam Sapaty further admonished and encouraged the women not to leave anything to chance but to participate actively in the upcoming elections, in order to sustain the peace of the country, since women and children  suffered most in the event of outbreak of conflicts.

She said women as wives, mothers, sisters, aunties and nieces should take the lead in counselling their husbands, children, youth and other family relations to desist from any election-related conflict in this political campaign season.

The office paid glowing tribute to its development partner, the European Union, for its support to reach out to the electorate with such a vital programme.

The Market Queen of the Asamankese Vegetable Sellers Association, Madam Margareta Appretu, on behalf of the association, expressed appreciation to the staff of the NCCE  and pledged her support for other future encounters in matters of such nature.