ACILA launches 'Vote Match Ghana' to promote voter education

The Africa Center for International Law and Accountability (ACILA) has launched the ‘Vote Match Ghana’ to promote voter education as the December polls draw close.

According to project coordinator and Executive Director of ACILA, William Nyarko, the campaign is aimed at promoting transparency and issues-based campaigns prior to the elections.

It is also to ensure that political parties are held accountable to their policies.

According to Mr Nyarko, ACILA conducted a nationwide survey in which 5,500 people participated across the country.

Based on a random selection of Ghana's 216 districts, an online questionnaire comprising three key questions were put to respondents.

In the end, seven issues including corruption, roads and infrastructure, health, education, peace and security and cost of living, were identified looking at baseline data drawing from the Afro barometer surveys.

For the respondents from Greater Accra region corruption was the major concern with roads and infrastructure being the least.

The major issue for respondents from the Volta Region was roads and infrastructure with corruption being at the bottom.

ACILA is looking to contribute to the overall voter education drive with its new Voter Match Ghana online interactive medium.

The system comprises a set of pop quiz questions based on manifestos from the two major political parties which voters who visit the platform will have to answer.

Mr Nyarko noted, "At the end of the short quiz, the likely voter is presented with a result, which provides information based on the choices selected."

The result facilitates voter education as the likely voter learns more about the policies of the candidates to enable them to make an informed decision. The quiz can be retaken several times.

On the issue of accountability, Vote Match Ghana intends to track the manifesto promises of the candidate after the candidate wins the election and takes office.

"The public will subsequently be invited to take periodic surveys to assess the performance of the duty bearer and ACILA will analyse and release the results in the form of a Job Approval or Disapproval rating," Mr. Nyarko added.