Role of Youth, journalists in ensuring smooth electioneering process

By Yusuf Abdulbasit Hozaifah

Youth engagement is very much needed and crucial for a democratic society. Youth appointment on the part of public councils helps young people to be relevant in the decision-making process and also allows them to widen their own experiences.

An election is a legal determination strategy by which a public chooses an individual to hold public office. According to Dye (2001), an election is a primary method for the recruitment of political administration in democratic nations; the key to participation in a democracy; and the way of giving permission to the government.

Sometimes, this approval makes little or no sense because the bourgeois is sure of taking the upper hand either by buying votes or by rigging through the physical snatching of ballot boxes. Thus, one can say that Iyayi (2004) is right in examining that ― democracy (and elections) can be a plus and also a big minus for the common man.

According to Iyayi, this was the case even in the Greek citystate with which the elegant idea of democracy is most nearly associated, (where) just free men could participate in the debates and hence impact the mode of authority of the city. Thus, slaves were not allowed to participate in the debates – as the Greek city was divided between the sovereignty and subjects and freemen and slaves”.

The emergence of contemporary political bourgeois has not changed anything, hence the struggles to redefine the purpose and the process of democracy and elections to date.

Elections tale at the heart of democracy. Proper participation in electoral procedures is therefore a crucial way to secure youth’s inclusion in and contribution to the democratic process. For decades, assuring youth turnout on election day has been a key priority for electoral management bodies (EMBs).

However, there is a need to carry out more elegant multidimensional approaches to engage with youth. The tasks of an EMB include specifying voter eligibility; collecting and verifying the nomination of electoral contestants (including political parties and candidates); conducting the substantial polling; and counting and tabulating the votes. In addition, EMBs may also engage in activities related to voter registration, civic and voter education, and dispute outcome. In this context, EMBs have either a formal or a casual mandate to promote youth participation (International IDEA 2014).

Formally, global responsibilities and commitments or national legislation may entrust EMBs with a duty to ensure equal opportunities for participation in electoral processes. Informally, such responsibilities might bestow on EMBs an implicit role in removing prevailing barriers to effective youth participation. EMBs’ techniques and treaties may also outline key objectives, programmes and activities as well as stakeholder cooperations, or set out strategies for the promotion of youth participation.

Youth as voters EMBs have traditionally focused on programmes and activities enabling youth to vote in elections. However, civil and voter teaching programmes also increase young people’s responsibility to democratic significances and principles, their interest in political affairs and knowledge of opportunities to engage, and their knowledge of how elections work in practice. The use of language and images that solicit to the youth constituency has been central to this line of work. Civic and education programmes executed by EMBs can take several forms.

Youth engagement is very much needed and crucial for a emocratic society. Youth appointment on the part of public councils helps young people to be relevant in the decision-making process and also allows them to widen their own experiences.

What we need to know about the pertinence of youth participation; To investigate the relevancy of youth participation in politics and power in the society. To find out the challenge of youth participation in politics and authority. To identify the nature and importance of “the not too young to run law”.

The roles and responsibilities of journalists during election times are climacteric. During the electoral campaign, journalists help inform the public so that they can make accountable decisions on Election Day.

It is important that programming is enlightening, and that it seeks to inform the audience about different aspects of the election process. The code of conduct adopted in Togo reminds journalists that it is crucial for “the voter to be well informed to form their own opinion freely and make decisions with full knowledge of the facts” Journalists have a role to play in providing voters with information on the elections and on technical specifics such as how to register for the elections or how to vote on Election Day.

These aspects allow for a more informed population, and also encourage higher voting participation. To enable voters to choose a candidate who represents their interests and viewpoints, journalists should try to provide as much information as possible on the protocols and platforms of the different candidates.

A journalist can present divergent points of view by interviewing the candidates or analysing their speeches, if necessary with an expert encouraging him/her or a representative of Civil Society.

Interactive programme formats will allow listeners to ask specific questions on the candidates’ points. Presenting candidates’ proposed policies will also allow journalists and citizens to monitor the implementation of these promised policies, once representatives are elected.

To encourage the smooth conduct of an election, the journalist also has to play a role as an election monitor to allow for better transparency in the voting process. On the Election Day, journalists can go to polling stations and watch the numerous steps of the process. In some cases, they will have to obtain accreditation from the Electoral Commission before being licensed to report on the polling station.

They will then be able to report to their listeners or to voters on the process and announce any infringements or violations in the rules that may have been committed. The journalist will have to ask the following questions: What time did the polling station open? Were viewers there at the opening? Did we verify that the ballot boxes were empty? What were the security conditions? Were people able to vote freely without pressure or threats? Were all the ballots included and accounted for?

Regarding the announcement of the results, a particular stage that is often a source of conflict between the different parties, the journalist must pay close attention to the activities of the actors in charge of counting the ballots, particularly the Electoral Commission, who is usually in charge of this stage. Journalists should respect the Electoral Commission’s regulations while monitoring these activities. In most situations, before the closing of the last polling station at the national level, no partial or definite result can be released to the public, as this honour is usually reserved for the Electoral Commission, who is responsible for overseeing the vote tally.

A journalist giving a credible coverage of the elections has to respect this rule, as it applies to all. In fact, rating early results before the end of the vote could influence individuals who have not yet voted. Moreover, an early announcement of unverified results can create unnecessary trouble among the supporters of different candidates. Once all the polling stations are closed and until the official proclamation of the results by the Electoral Commission, the journalists must indicate precisely the source of all the numbers relating to the vote which they release.

They also have to mention every time their one-sided and provisory/temporary character. In all cases, journalists must succumb with the press rules set up for the election period by the press regulation bodies of their country. However, the role of the journalist does not end with the casting of votes. When the election is totally over and the counting starts, journalists must ensure the monitoring of the strategies of the Electoral Commission, and the promptness of the processing and dissemination of the provisional results.