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It has been found that around 82 percent of young Ghanaians aged 18-21 have indicated that they are willing to vote on December 7, 2020.
This was revealed by Mr. Kobby Gomez Mensah, an investigator, according to his research.
Addressing a youth empowerment workshop organized by the Youth Bridge Foundation, a non-governmental organization aimed at closing the gaps for positive youth development, he said the research was conducted in ten regions in November 2020 with a sample size of 1,000.
He said that, according to the investigation, about 53 percent of the young people were not affiliated with any political party and others belonged to one or another political party.
According to the researcher, about 96 percent of first-time voters said the nation was more important to them than political parties, and most of them, including those who dropped out of school, considered education to be their top priority. followed by employment.
“The Tamale focus group discussion revealed that traditional family voting patterns were changing, and young people made their decisions through proposed policies and infrastructure developments.
Mensah said the research showed that about 53 percent made their decisions through news reports and about 92 percent wanted to be part of the decision-making process after the elections.
He said the total youth population registered for the elections had shrunk by almost seven percent compared to the 2016 elections.
He said that this was so because some young people had lost interest and did not see the need to vote.
Mr. Micheal Boadu, Director of Training, Electoral Commission (EC), said that about 56 percent of registered voters for the general elections were young; this is a constituency unto itself.
He said that it is important to educate youth about electoral processes to avoid difficulties during elections.
He said that during the upcoming elections everyone present in the polling stations would observe all COVID-19 protocols to prevent the spread of the virus.
He said that one could vote without the voter’s identification (ID) card, but that one had to go through a verification using the Biometric Verification Device (BVD), which contained all the details of registered voters.
He demonstrated the procedures for voting, how to properly fingerprint to prevent ballots from spoiling, and understand the responsibilities of election officials at the polls on Election Day.
Ms. Olivia Akosua Asantewaa, Member, First Time Youth Voter, urged first-time voters in the upcoming elections not to take the opportunity for granted, but to speak out in numbers to cast their vote.
He said that they should not be influenced to engage in violent acts and should not feel threatened while exercising their civil responsibility.
Mr. Seth Oteng, Executive Director of the Youth Bridge Foundation, warned young people that at this time of the elections they should not allow anyone to mobilize their discontent.
“We have a future to protect and that future must be built by young people for themselves and for themselves; they should protect Ghana as a country, ”he said.
He expressed his gratitude to the EC resource persons, the Young First Time Voter Participants, Mr. Kobby Gomez Mensah, and the Canada Fund for Local Initiatives, Ghana for their support.
— GNA
