Steemit Engagement Challenge Season 8 Week 3 || Elections In My Country

It's with great joy that I welcome you all to my special entry on the Steemit Engagement Challenge SEC S8-W3 in this great community. Without further hesitation I would be actively participating now.

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"What do you think about Elections in your country"

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This is a very interesting subject to discuss about, because I am a keen and passionate political activist. Elections in my country is really comes with a bad tale.

However, prior to elections there are always campaigns, solemn promises and I call them profain babbling all on the quest to entice political activists to vote for them. These politicians entice the public with month watery offers ranging from special appointment, vote buying too. This has been a great problem, which has been prevalent in my country for several decades which I must say that I have witnessed too.

Moreso, the electoral governing body INEC-Independent National Electoral Commission always promises to make our elections worthwhile and assures the national populace that electorates votes must count, but on the contrary these votes does not count! Results are falsified and a ceremonial president reinstated in accordance with the demand of the body. The highest bidder of bribe to the electoral commission gets the political office. I must say that it is so disturbing as the aim of our civic duties carried out by citizens as an instrument of democracy is defeated. I must classify the elections in my country to be a corrupt ritual

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"What do you think about the electoral system in your country"

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source^{electoral system in my country}

The electoral system in my country is very crude and ancient. Many parts of developed countries use the digital or computerised systems during elections. This provides an avenue for smooth running of election. My thoughts about the elections in my country is really a bad remark. There are series of illegal activities characterised by the electoral system and I would be sharing some of them now.

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Falsification Of Results

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When elections are conducted. There is always Falsification of figures in the results of the concluded elections to suit the quest if this dubious electoral body. They change figures of the result outing their own figures just to gratify their malicious desires of rigging the election, a principal conduct of electoral malpractice.

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Vote Buying

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The electoral system has been so polluted too, there is vote buying in the country prior to the elections or on the election day. During the exercise, delegated representative of some political parties are seen deliberating with electorates who intend to carry out their civic duties of voting on the amount of money to be given to vote for them. Most interestingly these funds are usually in dollars to attract their subjects.

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Thuggery and Violence

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Thugs and criminals are hired by the loosing political parties during the elections to go disrupt the activities in the polling units. They can disturb by shooting guns violently to scare electorates from participating in the elections. They can also show these act of violence by stealing the ballot boxes where election materials are put, all to disrupt the smooth running in the elections, these occur in my country during elections.

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"How is it done in your country"

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source^{an electorate during the election process}

Importantly, I would say the electoral system in my country is a huge failure, the system is one in which electorates obtain their voters card to be eligible to vote. These voters card are obtained prior to the election date.

• Screening and Validation: On the special day of the elections a database runs a background check on the national digital record server which is accessed through the beavers to validate each persons identity and voting status before the voting exercise.

• Voting Process: After verification and validation the electrates are ushered into a polling booth where electoral materials are assigned to them. They thumbprint on an ink and depress their thumps into each candidate of their choice represented with the political parties in each column. The electorate leaves the voting booth and steps forward to put voting paper in the ballot box.

• Collation and Counting: These votes are collected and counted after election in each polling unit. These electorates who votes wait till the results are uploaded and counted. When they are counted they are sent through the beavers to the INEC portals for submission to the federal state.

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"Is it Transparent and Fair in your Country"

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Frankly, elections are not transparent and fair in my country, there is prevalent electoral malpractice in the country.

Additionally, a recent election conducted in my country, precisely my state. The INEC chairman was kidnapped a week to the elections and released a fortnight to the elections. Meanwhile, thugs which kidnapped him warned him sternly that he must appoint a political representative as governor or else he would be tracked down and killed on the next operation. Today the sitting governor is the one chosen by thugs and tyrant and not the people's choice. This is the extent it has reached in my country.

Consequently, it is evident that the elections in my country is beyond transparent, free and fair to the best of my knowledge.

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"Assume there's no fairness and effectiveness as far as elections are concerned what solutions can you propose to ensure its being carried out the right way"

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source^{assured security during election}

International Watchdogs:
The level my country has attained only international intervention can see to it that elections are carried out properly. The electoral body answers to one. That's why it is independent, a twist in a tale. Thus, with International Watchdogs such as ECOWAS, AU, UN. These elections subsequently can be free and fair again.

Computerised Voting:
I opt for the online electoral process to be conducted. Where the electorates can vote successfully from the comfort of their homes and send votes to the electoral commission website too. This would overide most electoral malpractice as the results would speak for themselves. Great cyber security in place too to build a firewall against hackers would also support the motion.

Decisive Penalty:
These electoral offenders are always getting away with their crimes, therefore decisive penalty on these defaulters can aid in serving a note of warning to others who intend to carry out such dubious crimes too. I guess this process would ensure a better nation when we go out to the polls to vote.

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~Conclusion

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Our civic rights must be performed and our electoral franchise must be transparent, free and fair. The earlier it is enacted the better for our country. This would determine our place globally. With a good electoral process and reinstatement of a credible government we can skyrocket from a developing country to a developed county soon.

I invite @graceleon @abialfatih @steemdoctor1 to join challenge