Over one thousand people of the Nandom District of the Upper West Region have been sensitised to the appropriate ways of voting as Ghana prepares to go to the polls in December.
The participants comprising youth groups, faith based organisations, Senior and Junior High Students as well as civil groups in the district were schooled on their right to vote, procedures involved in voting and the “dos” and “don’ts” of the Ghanaian voter.
Mr Emmanuel Tambile Der, the Nandom District Director of the NCCE, at one of the forums held in Nandom, said the awareness creation effort was aimed at deepening democracy through the creation of an atmosphere of tolerance and respect for divergence views.
He urged the electorates to pay heed to the rights of other people in the process of exercising their constitutional right to vote. “It is a civic responsibility for every registered Ghanaian voter to participate in Ghana’s elections and referenda. “It is also the responsibility of every registered voter and to a large extent every Ghanaian to ensure that elections are conducted in a free and fair manner”, Mr Der said.
He cautioned the participants against the use of abusive and intemperate language, provocative statements and the destruction of election and other related materials. Mr Der appealed to the participants to desist from collecting bribes and other incentives that could lead them to compromise their integrity. He urged the participants to become agents of peace in their communities to help to sustain peace for development.
“Development is dependent on peace and you ought to promote peaceful co-existence wherever you found yourself and to also be peace ambassadors in your respective communities”, he said. Mr Der appealed to the public to exercise decorum when they go to the polling station to cast their vote to elect their preferred presidential and parliamentary candidates on the Election Day.