Ghanaians meet in Montreal to discuss Diaspora vote implementation

June 2, 2006

Following the saying ?someone else does not drink medicine for the sick person?; the Diaspora Vote Committee hosted a highly successful all-day conference at the Midtown Quality Hotel in Montreal, Canada on May 27, 2006. The law that extends the voting franchise to Ghanaians abroad was passed and signed into law on February 24, 2006 but we cannot relax on this oar. We must be proactive for the law to be implemented, especially if the Ghana Diaspora wants to vote in the 2008 elections.

The format of the conference was designed to permit an uninhibited exchange of ideas and learn from invited Out-of- Country Vote (OCV) professionals. This was achieved far beyond anyone?s expectations. Dr. Arthur Kennedy, a declared Presidential Candidate for Ghana was in attendance as part of the Ghana Diaspora and shared his vision. The Government of Ghana was represented by the Consuls General of New York and Toronto who came to learn what duties may be asked of them. There is no record of any country that implements Diaspora vote without the involvement of its embassies and consulates to some degree.

Non-Partisan Attendees came from various Ghanaian political and ethnic persuasions. The openness to sharing ideas was heartening and in sharp contrast to the acrimony that characterized the journey of the passage of the Representation of the People (Amendment) Act 699 of the Republic of Ghana. In their opening remarks, Mike Baffoe (Canada) and Kofi A. Boateng (USA), emphasized that the DVC is non-partisan on the issue of implementing the right to vote for Ghanaians living abroad. However they clarified that non-partisanship on an issue does not mean that attendees and members of the Diaspora Vote Committee do not have political leanings of their own. The DVC can take credit for staying focused on the issue of the Ghana Diaspora voting franchise without being drawn into name calling and political bashing much as they have been baited.

Lessons from Experts The invited guests were Nathan Van Dusen, Deputy Director for Africa at the Washington DC based IFES and his colleague, Mr. Ian Smith (no relation to the infamous one), Out-of ?Country Voting expert and consultant. The duo shared how IFES has been involved with Ghana?s elections since 1992 and how they collaborate with Ghana?s EC to give technical assistance to other African countries. (IFES used to stand for International Federation of Electoral Systems) They were very impressed by the ownership of the OCV process by the country?s Diaspora and the tone of collegial discussion that characterized the Montreal conference. From their perspective, there is no reason why the implementation issues cannot be resolved between the EC, Government units and all other stakeholders in time for the 2008 elections. Their presentations caused the attendees to unanimously agree to a transitional implementation that will the Diaspora will vote only in the Presidential election in 2008 and will occur in countries where Ghana has Embassies and Consulates. The lessons learned can be carried forward to future roll-outs. This shall not be unusual and is the path taken by Senegal, South Africa, Cape Verde and Philippines among many.

IFES presented three scenarios of OCV: (1) ? In-Person (embassies/consular offices or neutral locations; (2) by mail and (3) Other (electronic voting and proxy voting). It bears emphasis that before the vote there must be a voter registration exercise and the ensuing register must be open for a reasonable time to allow challenge and review. Transparency and credibility are of paramount importance in choosing one or a hybrid of the three methods of out-of-country voting. Transparency must be tampered by the cost of each method. Mr. Smith explained that most host countries will require an approval before OCV registration and election can be held outside embassies and consulates.

Voter Education Traditionally and contrary to the fears that preceded the passage of ROPAA, OCV participation tends to be low, anywhere from the 5% (Mexico 2003) to 40% (Cape Verde 2001 and Iraq 2005). Factors that influence Diaspora participation include the ease and cost of registration and voting. Voter education is of paramount importance. People must know all the logistical details in advance- where, when and how and what forms of identification would be required. The candidates on the ballot and the attending burning issues at home influence turnout.

Transparency Anti-fraud measures require that at some point in the process, there must be a face-to-face contact of a prospective voter with an election official, be it at the registration or the voting stage. In addition, ballots should never be sent to the home country without being counted first at the site of voting with representatives of major stakeholders present and signing off. The basis of voter identification should be decided and communicated to prospective voters ahead of time.

It is possible to have in-person voter registration at the embassies/consulates and mail-in voting or vice-versa and satisfy the transparency issue. This hybrid will most likely result in a higher amount of participation and also result in a lower cost for both the country and the out-of ?country voters. Philippines is considering the inclusion of mail-in ballots in its next OCV to increase participation.

Cost The sentiment of the attendees was that the Diaspora would contribute to the cost of OCV. However there was an attending understanding that there cannot be any semblance of ?vote buying?. The general resolution was that the cost of OCV should be part of the Government?s general budget and the DVC would assist in anyway possible.

Overriding Concerns Lest people panic from the list of hurdles and decision points, it was stressed by the IFES officials that tens of countries are already doing OCV and Ghana is on track to success. This assessment stems from their very positive impression of the Montreal conference that encouraged all to express their views. The more such conferences are done well ahead of 2008 the better the chances for the ?TO DO LIST? to be defined and checked off.

Attendees complained about the long- time (sometimes more than one year) that has characterized dual citizenship registration. They bemoaned the invisibility of the Electoral Commission after the passage of ROPAA. They were unsettled by the continued resistance to implementation from the opponents of ROPAA at a time when there are advantages to Ghana for engaging international bodies such as IFES and non-partisan representatives of the Ghana Diaspora to make optimal decisions.

Resolutions and other matters The conference considered other matters such as how Ghana Diaspora can grow from personal remittances to organized pooling of funds for national investment and development. The following resolutions were passed unanimously:

? That the Electoral Commission should be more proactive in coming up with the Regulatory Instrument for OCV. This should be developed in conjunction with all stakeholders. The DVC reserves the right to seek legal recourse to compel the EC to act to implement ROPAA for the 2008 national election.

? That the approval process for dual citizenship application be shortened considerably to no more than 30 days.

? That a Ministry of Ghana?s Diaspora Affairs be created to facilitate the engagement of Ghana?s Diaspora for national development. This is in recognition of the fact that the recent Ministry of Tourism and Diasporean Affairs has been patently recognized as not being for Ghana?s Diaspora.

? That the Citizenship Act of 2000 be reviewed to ensure that Ghana does not lose needed talent on account of the exclusion of those with dual citizenship from taking several positions in Ghana. Superficially and without resorting to constitutional interpretations, there is an incongruity in the logic of the assembly of the 13 exclusions. For example, President, Minister and Deputy Minister are not among the 13 exclusions however Chief Fire Officer is included.

? That as a transition, the OCV should be for 2008 and should initially be limited to the Presidential elections and take place in countries where Ghana has embassies and consulates.

By Kofi A. Boateng and the Diaspora Vote Committee Interested in joining the DVC? Send your e-mail address to Kboateng@aaionline.org