Sunyani (B/A), Nov. 8, GNA - Candidates contesting the forthcoming District Assembly Elections have been asked to use part of the campaign period to educate the electorate on voting procedures, to prevent rejection of spoilt ballot papers. Mr. Alfred Ofori Annye, Brong-Ahafo Regional Secretary of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), made the call in an interview with Ghana News Agency in Sunyani on Monday, said assembly members play critical role in promoting grassroots democracy. He also appealed to Members of Parliament to educate the electorate on the electoral process to avoid spoilt ballots in subsequent national elections to avoid run-off elections and its attendant cost to the nation.

Mr. Annye expressed worry that a number of ballot papers were rejected during elections and cited the 2008 General Election. He noted that but for the 145,268 rejected ballots recorded in Election 2008 there would not have been a second round, which brought extra cost to the country. "I have critically studied the 2008 voting trend and have come to realize that if the electorate voted well, we would have had a one-touch win", Mr. Annye stated. He observed that the Dome Kwabenya constituency in the Greater Accra Region and Tolon constituency in Northern Region were the only areas that did not record spoilt ballots in the 61,834 and 34,445 valid votes cast respectively. In Brong-Ahafo, Mr. Annye said that Sunyani East recorded the least rejected ballot papers of 44 out of the 53,888 valid votes cast whilst Bawku Central in Upper East Region recorded 50 rejected ballots out of the 37,769 votes cast.

"Apart from the four constituencies which I think did well, the rest had rejected votes ranging from 100 with Ayawaso East in Greater Accra recording 7,291 rejected ballot papers", he stressed. Mr Annye said Brong-Ahafo Region recorded 13,408 rejected ballot papers with the Pru District recording the highest of 1,148, Atebubu/Amantin District 1,070 with Sene District 889. Mr. Annye stressed the need to educate the electorate in the country on voting procedure to reduce the number of spoilt ballots. "I want to plead with the aspirants of the district assembly elections to give it a start so that others who may also contest parliamentary and presidential elections will continue", he said. Mr. Annye said with the expansion of the NPP's Electoral College, its foot soldiers and polling station executives would also do proper house-to-house campaign and educate the electorate on voting process to enable the party to regain power in 2012. 8 Nov. 10