Latest update May 4th, 2024 12:59 AM
Apr 16, 2015 News
With over 570,000 Guyanese eligible to vote at the upcoming General and Regional elections, Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) has expressed the belief that its voter education campaign has been a success thus far.
As General and Regional elections inch closer, GECOM has upped its game in getting relevant information to the electorate and part of its campaign involves frequent advertisements being disseminated to the public.
When contacted yesterday, GECOM Chairman Steve Surujbally said the body’s public awareness campaign was “going satisfactorily”.
Surujbally said too, that the adverts were disseminated to encourage Guyanese to be prepared to vote at the upcoming elections.
Similarly, GECOM’s Public Relations Officer (PRO) Richard Francois emphasised the importance of the body’s voter education programme.
“We have to make sure that people understand the system and how to use the system when the time comes,” Francois explained. “We hope the message resonates with the public,” he added.
According to Francois, there are over a dozen adverts coming from GECOM for this election season. These adverts, he said, are transmitted on television and on radio while other messages are placed within the print media.
He said too, that GECOM has also been distributing flyers and using megaphones to get its messages out to the public as part of its “aggressive” campaign. Billboards have also been erected though no door-to-door campaigning is ongoing, Francois said.
Francois added that the campaign began a few weeks ago and has been progressively intensifying.
Meanwhile, Francois indicated that few of the questions reaching GECOM deals with the Official List of Electors (OLE).
“We haven’t heard questions really on lists and so forth,” he said. Instead, he said, most of the questions focus on the availability of jobs at polling stations.
“So the programme does seem to be working,” Francois added.
Since the launch of GECOM’s voter education campaign, the organisation’s commercials can be frequently seen on a number of television stations. The adverts touch on a number of elections related topics including, elections day procedure, the rights and responsibilities of voters, and the importance of exercising the democratic right to vote.
The television adverts also include a sign language component.
Surujbally further said that GECOM recently opened a Facebook page as part of its campaign. The body also has an ongoing series in local newspapers known as “Elections Corner”.
Last month, the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) had urged GECOM to commence a voter education programme. The party’s General Secretary, Clement Rohee had said that GECOM must do this to sensitize voters about elections day procedures as well as the rights of voters at polling places.
GRA catch EXXON trying to hunch GUYANA over 11 BUS dollars in one shot!!!!
May 04, 2024
SportsMax – The West Indies Women defeated hosts Pakistan by eight wickets in the fifth and final T20 International at the Karachi National Stadium yesterday to complete a 4-1 series victory....Kaieteur News – I have not read the decision of Justice Sandil Kissoon in the case brought by the Guyana Teachers’... more
By Sir Ronald Sanders Waterfalls Magazine – On April 10, the Permanent Council of the Organization of American States... more
Freedom of speech is our core value at Kaieteur News. If the letter/e-mail you sent was not published, and you believe that its contents were not libellous, let us know, please contact us by phone or email.
Feel free to send us your comments and/or criticisms.
Contact: 624-6456; 225-8452; 225-8458; 225-8463; 225-8465; 225-8473 or 225-8491.
Or by Email: [email protected] / [email protected]