Classwork Series and Exercises {Civic Education – JSS2}: Voter’s Education

Civic Education JSS2

Topic: Voter’s Education

Contents:

1. Meaning of Voting
2. Voters’ Registration
3. Importance of Voting
4. Process of Voting

Meaning of Voting

Voting can be defined as the process of formally indicating one’s choice or opinion, especially in election. It can also be defined as the means of choosing or electing a leader or an opinion at a particular time.

Voting is the process of formally indicating one’s choice or opinion especially in an election or referendum. It is also the casting of ballots for eligible aspirants by eligible voters. Voters are those who have the right to vote or those who cast their ballots in an election.

Voters’ Registration

Voters’ registration is the situation where individuals who is 18 years and above registered and have a voter’s card, this card makes the person eligible for voting during election.Voters’ registration often involves a visit to a designated voters’ registration centre to enroll as an eligible voter.

A voter’s registrar who is in attendance would write the particulars of the prospective voter. The registrar gets the name, age, sex, occupation, residential address of the prospective voters.

Anybody who wants to vote in an election must have registered and have a voter’s card so that when it is time for election he/she can go to the polling unit to cast his / her vote  for the candidate of his/ her choice.

Voter’s registration is therefore the means by which those who are at the age of 18 and above visit a designated voter’s registration centre to enroll as an eligible voter.  A voter’s registrar who is in attendance would write the particulars of the prospective voter (e.g. name, age, sex, occupation, residential address etc) into a ledger or a system. After some time a voter’s card will be issued and that makes the person a eligible to vote during election.

Voters determine who becomes a political leader in a democratic system of government. So every voter has a great power to make or mar the future of a country through his /her voting power.

Voters’ Responsibilities

The responsibilities of voter are some of the following:

1. Reject all forms of gratifications before voting for a candidate
2. Be a vigilant and an enlightened citizen
3. Reject corrupt political party and electoral officers
4. Be disciplined and have self control
5. Enlightened others who may not know the truth about the dubious politician.
6. Do not vote twice

Importance of Voting

The importance of voting are listed below

• To choose a desirable leader: Voting allows the general public to choose the leader of their choice without anybody imposing leadership on them.
• To effect a change of policy: The citizens vote for or against  a belief or ideology, if a government is not doing well, the people can vote such government out of power
• To exercise our civic right: It is a fundamental right that a person should vote and be voted for
• To reject a wrong leader:Voting during elections to determine the kind of life they want, through people’s vote, a bad leader can be voted out immediately.
• It serves as a checking sit tight syndrome: Africans like power, they stay put in power, they do not want to be removed, when people are well mobilized they can unseat an individual who wants to turn a political office into a permanent sit.
• To ensure convincing Electoral victory: When eligible voters go out to vote during election, the actual result is determined without any partiality.
• Other reasons are:
  1. To exercise our civic and political right
  2. To participate in governance
  3. It is an avenue to make a constructive criticism to bad leaders
  4. It gives us a sense of belonging.

Process of Voting

Voting is an easy exercise; the following steps are taken in the process of voting:

• Once an individual has a valid voter’s card, he/ she can approach a polling officer on the day appointed for election at the polling centre.
• Present the voter’s card to the presiding polling officer who will make sure that the particulars on the voter’s card corresponds with the one on the voters register or the system for that particular polling centre.
• The presiding officer will then tear a ballot paper containing names and pictures of political aspirants and their party logo and hand it over to the eligible voter.
• The voter is then directed to the polling booth which has an enclosure so that the voting can be private to the voter.
• The voter uses the right thumb to touch the ink pad and presses the blank vote space on the ballot paper of a choice party.
• the paper is then folded back cleverly so that the ink does not spread, If the ink spreads across another party logo, the vote becomes null and void
• The ballot paper is then dropped into the transparent ballot box.