STEEMIT ENGAGEMENT CHALLENGE S8W3 - ELECTION IN MY COUNTRY

_{Designed using Pixellab App Ballot Box Clip}

INTRODUCTION

The election is an avenue by which citizens of a country or state or organization express their political views and opinions. This is done by openly or publicly voting to choose a leader of their choice.

The selected political leader would hold public office and have the power and authority to role and represent the masses of the state or country or organization.

What do you think about Elections in your country

According to the Independent National Electoral Commission of Nigeria (INEC), there are 3 types of elections in Nigeria of which the most important is the General Election to vote for President and Vice President, as well as the National Assembly and also into the offices of Governor and Deputy Governor as well as members of the State Houses of Assembly and this is done every 4 years.

_{INEC Election Manual - chapter 1; pg 1}

Lucky me, this is an election year in my country and I was a front liner as a volunteer service from National Youth Service Corps (NYSC).

The election is certainly a vital pillar of any country, state or organization that epitomises democracy. This is because; Election of vote casting ensures that the government is of the people, by the people, and for the people.

My country Nigeria is known to practice the Democratic role of government where the masses come out in mass to vote for their preferred candidate which is a good thing.

What do you think about the electoral system in your country?

Voting is the basic right of the masses to choose their preferred candidate as a leader to lead them during an election.

_{A booklet of Ballot Papers Location}

In Nigeria, voting is done using a ballot paper where the voter ticks his/her preferred candidate, folds the paper in a prescribed manner that won't make it an invalid vote and drops it in a ballot box.

_{INEC Election Manual - chapter 1; pg 2}

The method of voting applied by Nigeria is said to be an Open-Secret-Ballot System where the voting of the candidate is concealed from others I.e Thumb printed in secret in a set-up stand called The Cubicle. and the vote casting is done in the open into the Ballot Boxes. The voting process starts at 8:30 and closes at 2:30. Then the votes are sorted and counted in the open and recorded for the coalition.

_{A Cubicle already set up Location}

My thought on the entire process of voting in Nigeria is that the Open-Secret-Ballot system is indeed a very appreciated way to go about it as when employed to the best of circumstances, no one but you voting knows who or the party you voted for.

How is it done in your country?

The voting/election procedure used in Nigeria requires a prospective voter to cast his/her vote immediately after being accredited.

Accreditation is a process to ascertain the voter’s name is in the list of Registered Voters in a particular Polling Unit where he/she had earlier registered to vote in an election.

On Election Day, accreditation and voting shall commence simulation at 8.30 am and close at 2:30 pm or as may be determined by the Electoral Commission, provided that all voters already in the queue by 2:30 pm shall be allowed to accredit and vote.

The accreditation process comprises of:

• Checking the voter for his/her Permanent Voter’s Card (PVC).

• Identifying the voter using the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS).

• Authenticating the voter by matching his/her fingerprints or face (facial recognition) using the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS)

_{Voters being accreditted to vote at Ndon Eyo Town Hall polling unit 002 Location}

After authentication, the voter is issued a ballot paper, which they take to the cubicle to thumbprint beside their candidate's party and drop into the ballot box then hang around to witness the sorting and counting process after voting has been declared close by 2:30 or when the last person in the queue after 2:30 has voted.

_{A Voter casting his vote Location}

_{Voters awaiting the result Location}

Thereafter, the results are computed, forwarded to the coalition centre and uploaded to the INEC portal for the viewing pleasure of the masses.

Is it transparent and fair in your country?

This is a hardball to swallow, but to some extent, I can say the process is transparent and fair in enough whereas in some cases some polling unit still needs voters' education as some tend to cause a fight and disrupt this process.

On a Personal note, as a frontrunner for the just concluded elections, I can say that the election process is fair, but the system of a coalition of the election seems to be flawed as this is where all the cries of election rigging come from thus the court cases we witness after every major election as the results they got from the various polling units now seem different after coalition.

But I remain on the ground it's fair enough because I can remember vividly that when I was much younger there was nothing much to take from elections as it was always a war of thugs and violent crime scenes.

Assume there's no fairness and effectiveness as far as elections are concerned, what solutions can you propose to ensure it's being carried out the right way

The solution to every election is transparency, justice and voter education. Why I have picked these out is that no matter the system employed with these characteristics not fair.

One could say let's employ a system where voters vote from the comfort of their homes, but then you will have cyber attacks to combat transparency and justice.

Everyone involved needs to be aware of the implications and rewards of the actions they take which is the voter's education. As we witnessed cases of ballot box snatching which lead to cancelled polling units or worse death of the perpetrators.

CONCLUSION

The election is a symbol of political freedom, it is the tool which puts power and authority in the hands of the masses. Democracy is not a thing without it, thus, People must realize the value of Elections and take the bull by the horn by coming out in large numbers to vote.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME

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I like to invite @badmus-official, @ruthjoe and @starrchris, and any other persons who would like to participate too to CLICK HERE for more instructions.

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Thank you all for always making out time to go through my work, and I only hope you enjoyed it😉😁. I can never say thank you enough. You are my real MVPs.

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