We Welcome and Applaud National Council’s Decision to Vote In-person Across the Diaspora
Majority of our members here in NPP-USA applaud the National Council for spelling out in detail how the diaspora election should be conducted especially in the US.
Importance of voting at the Chapter level for both chapter and branch election cannot be downplayed.
All chapters have in-person meetings not just for chapter activities but have also used in-person meetings as one of the ways for voting in past chapter elections. Chapters have always constituted their own election committees with support of the branch in the conduct of elections so there is no argument for logistical or manpower challenges. Again, chapters organize programs like picnic, parties, etc and also meet party leaders from Ghana whenever they’re in the US in-person. Voting in-person is very good and we need to applaud the National Council.
Voting at the chapter levels will create awareness for the party in the various chapter states. This will bring sympathizers and members of the party who are not registered in our various states together. It will also add to the mobilization of members for the party where individual sympathizers will have the passion to register to be part of our membership. There are some party people in some states who don’t know NPP exists in their state. Voting in-person will create awareness for the party.
Even in US as a country, we have two kinds of voting; vote by mail and go to the polling center in-person to cast your vote and even that you will see the agents of the major political parties having access to the electronic system before elections will start. In 2024 General Election in US 29% of the voters voted by mail. 71% voted in person. Per the statement from the National Council, Agent of the various candidates will monitor the elections to make sure it is free, fair, and transparent as we all seek. This will make the candidate who loose easy to accept the results with love and continue to work for the party. It will also ensure elected executives work hard since they know they will be contesting for a free, fair, and transparent elections in future.
This will also bring back members who left the party because of our previous elections. I remember in the last 2 Branch elections some of us witnessed, some aspirants were very angry about the election and making allegations against the e-voting system and it took some of us to plead with them to exercise restraint. To avoid all these, I applaud the National Council for coming out with this decision. It will avoid suspicion, mistrust and back-end trace of the direction of vote of a delegate in the current e-voting system.
Source: Danny Opoku Antwi
(Youth Organizer, NPP-USA)
