The just-ended elections revealed a compelling truth that Liberians need to be taught their rights and responsibilities, and then how to execute these rights and responsibilities to properly benefit them and the country at large. After the first round of the elections, it was reported by the National Elections Commission that there were 114,639 presidential invalid votes, amounting to 5.89% of the total votes cast.
Graduate Student at School of Global Affairs and Policy, Cuttington University School of Graduate and Professional Studies
According to the Electoral Institute for Sustainable Democracy in Africa (EISA), this staggering amount, which could have been a decisive number in the first round of elections for either of the two leading candidates, revealed that in 12 of the 15 counties, the number of invalid votes for the Presidential elections were higher than the Senatorial or Representative ballots – both being 128,691 and 113,962 respectively. Brought together, the total invalid votes in the election in all three categories – Presidential, Senatorial, and Representative – were 357, 292, which is very alarming.
The number of invalid votes disclosed that there is still much work that needs to be done in educating the people of Liberia about executing their civic duties efficiently, even though a good number of the population have made considerable progress with executing these duties. And with over sixty percent of the Liberian population being youths, as per reports from the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), it is extremely essential that attention is given to this group of people so that they know the power that their votes carry, how that power can affect the country for the better or for the worse, and how to coexist with others who may not necessarily share the same political convictions as they do.
Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, a Former Associate Justice of the US Supreme Court, is quoted as saying, “We pay a price when we deprive children of the exposure to the values, principles, and education they need to make them good citizens”. I agree. In Liberia, however, we have not done justice to this generation of young leaders that is being raised. To build any productive generation, its leaders must prioritize teaching their history and then their rights and responsibilities as citizens, and the Civics and Service International reiterated this fact when they stated that, “Civics – which is the study of the rights of citizens and their responsibilities to each other and their government – is one of the leading fields in building a nation’s democracy.”
The just ended elections showed that even though many young people are enthusiastic about politics, many of them have don’t understand that their actions must be within the confines of the laws that govern the Republic of Liberia so that they don’t infringe on the rights of others and end up becoming criminals. With several instances of partisans from different political institutions engaging in gruesome acts, it is fair to say that more still needs to be done to educate citizens on their civic rights and where those rights end so that they do not see others as subordinate to them – and this new government must make it a part of their agenda to unify and educate the youthful population of Liberia so that another generation of young people cannot be washed away in ignorance.
Liberia is transitioning into a new season with a new government and this leadership must prioritize educating its up-and-coming leaders on the importance of executing their civic duties and doing so in a peaceful manner. This can be done by revisiting the curriculum and including courses that teach on civic duties, organizing seminars to disseminate the message of peace to facilitate reconciliation, and encouraging political leaders to spread the message of unity and progression for Liberia among their partisans. Furthermore, the National Elections Commission must also be empowered and then held accountable for adequate Voter Education through the 15 Counties of Liberia, ensuring that they reach the neglected townships and districts, so that the Liberian people can be properly educated on how to discharge their rights as responsible citizens.