Elections chief pushes voter education
She has consistently taken the point of view that the job of the Elections and Boundaries Department goes well beyond counting ballots. And today Chief Elections Officer Myrtle Palacio unveiled her most recent publication aimed at educating Belizean voters. Patrick Jones reports.
Patrick Jones, Reporting
“A Framework for Voter Education” is the Election and Boundaries Department’s latest effort to inform Belizeans about their rights and roles in the electoral process. Author of the book, Chief Elections Officer Myrtle Palacio, says the publication targets a specific segment of the population.
Myrtle Palacio, Chief Elections Officer
“The style and size is deliberate. It is deliberate so as to attract the younger Belizeans, our children, as a large percentage of these were born after Belize’s independence. In particular, I invite educators from both formal and informal institutions to use it as a resource for civic education. The book is not copyrighted and again it is deliberate. Use it, duplicate it if needs be. Transparency, voter education, all power to us as Belizean electors.”
Minister of the Education, Francis Fonseca, pledged support for the use of the book in the education system.
Francis Fonseca, Minister of Education
“The booklet takes its reader on a concise yet engaging and stimulating journey through Belize’s electoral system. From it’s often misunderstood constitutionally created structures to its more familiar public voter registration process. It is easy reading and its learned author was graciously economical in her use of words. While politicians and party activists will find the book most useful, I believe its greatest beneficiaries will be our nation’s students and teachers. For them I believe this booklet is a must read, and the ministry of education will work to ensure its accessibility to them.”
Principal of Wesley College, Brenda Armstrong, who was one of two people who reviewed the book at the public launch this morning, says the format makes the text easy to understand.
Brenda Armstrong, Principal, Wesley College
“We don’t find that the book jumps from place to place. Instead, you are given a historical perspective of voting in Belize, of Government in Belize. You move from definitions, which are set out first to broader issues, and the terminology used is always explained. I like the questioning technique that is a part of this presentation. It means that we will then challenge ourselves before we read the answer: do I know what is? Do I know that? And that is ingenious.”
The forty-seven-page book uses graphics and tables to help the reader understand every aspect of the country’s electoral process.
Myrtle Palacio
“What are our rights and responsibilities under these laws? We at the Election and Boundaries Department and the Commission, value you as partners. The church, the political party, the political activist, the private sector, Mr. Jose Citizen, civil society, we value you in building and maintaining our democracy. In this light I invite you to tread and comprehend the contents of this book.”
Patrick Jones, for News 5.
Palacio encouraged the community and civil society to plan activities commemorating the golden jubilee of the first election under Universal Adult Suffrage on April twenty-eighth, 1954.
