Election Malpractices – SS2 Citizenship & Heritage Studies Lesson Note (Third Term)

Electoral malpractice is any illegal act by politicians, voters or election officials to change the true result of an election.

• Subject: Citizenship and Heritage Studies
• Class: SS2
• Focus: Forms, causes, effects and solutions

Behavioural objectives

By the end of the lesson, students should be able to:

1. Define electoral malpractice.
2. Describe six forms of electoral malpractice.
3. State four effects of electoral malpractice on the country.
4. Suggest ways of reducing electoral malpractice.
5. Explain what a young citizen can do to discourage electoral malpractice.

What is electoral malpractice?

Electoral malpractice is any illegal act done to influence the result of an election so that the person the people want does not win.

• Fair election: like a fair race, the candidate with the most votes wins.
• Malpractice: cheating in that race.
• Effect on democracy: it weakens democracy, because the people’s choice is not respected.
• Other names: election rigging, electoral fraud and election irregularities.

Who commits electoral malpractice?

Three groups of people can commit electoral malpractice: politicians, voters and election officials.

When does electoral malpractice happen?

Electoral malpractice can happen before, during and after voting.

• Before voting: false registration, underage registration and violence during campaigns.
• During voting: impersonation, vote buying, ballot box snatching and intimidation.
• After voting: changing figures at the collation centre and announcing false results.

What are the forms of electoral malpractice?

There are six main forms of electoral malpractice: impersonation, ballot box snatching, underage voting, vote buying, falsification of results and intimidation.

• Impersonation (voter identity theft): someone pretends to be another person, sometimes a dead person, to vote twice or vote for someone else.
• Ballot box snatching: thugs are hired to run away with ballot boxes so that the votes can be destroyed or replaced.
• Underage voting: children below 18 years are encouraged or forced to vote.
• Vote buying: politicians give money, food (as in “stomach infrastructure”) or clothes at the polling unit to buy the votes of citizens.
• Falsification of results (rigging): figures are changed at the collation centre, for example from 10 to 100, to make a loser look like a winner.
• Intimidation and violence: “area boys” or rogue security men scare people away from voting in places where a politician is not popular.

What are other forms of electoral malpractice?

• Multiple voting: one person votes more than once.
• Bribery of officials: election workers are paid to favour one candidate.
• Over-voting: the votes counted are more than the number of accredited voters.

What are the causes of electoral malpractice?

Electoral malpractice is caused mainly by the wish to win at all costs and by weak punishment of offenders.

• Desire to win at all costs: some politicians see power as a way to gain wealth.
• Poverty: hungry voters can be tempted to sell their votes.
• Weak punishment: offenders who are not punished are not afraid to cheat again.
• Lack of civic knowledge: some citizens do not know the value of their vote.
• Dishonest officials: some election workers put money or loyalty before their duty.

What are the effects of electoral malpractice?

Electoral malpractice harms the whole country, not only the candidate who loses.

1. Bad leadership: a leader who did not win fairly feels no duty to the people and may not provide schools, hospitals or roads.
2. Political instability: rigged elections can lead to riots, protests and even coups, because people feel their voice does not matter.
3. Loss of faith in democracy: citizens stop believing in the system and stop voting, which makes cheating easier next time.
4. Damage to the country’s image: foreign investors may be afraid to invest, which means fewer jobs for graduates.

How can electoral malpractice be reduced?

Electoral malpractice is reduced when the government, the law and the citizens work together.

• Use of technology: the BVAS (Bimodal Voter Accreditation System) checks that only registered people vote, and the IReV (INEC Result Viewing portal) lets the public see polling unit results online.
• Independent judiciary: courts must cancel elections where cheating is proven and punish those involved, however powerful they are.
• Civic education: voters should learn that money received today is not worth four years of bad roads and poor services.
• Security for voters: the police and other security agencies must protect voters and ballot boxes, not politicians.
• Punishment for offenders: people caught snatching ballot boxes or buying votes should be prosecuted as a warning to others.

What is the role of a young citizen?

A young citizen can help to reduce electoral malpractice even before reaching voting age (18 years).

• Educate your family: tell parents and neighbours why vote buying harms the community.
• Refuse to be a thug: never accept money from a politician to cause trouble during an election.
• Stay informed: learn how voting and counting work so that nobody can mislead you in future.
• Practise fairness now: take part honestly in school elections and class captain votes.

Revision table: malpractices, meanings and solutions

Evaluation

1. What is electoral malpractice?
2. Describe any four forms of electoral malpractice.
3. State three effects of rigged elections on a country.
4. What do BVAS and IReV stand for, and how do they help to reduce cheating?
5. Class discussion: If a politician offers your family money to vote for them, and your family is very hungry and needs the money, what would you advise them to do?

Assignment

Choose any two forms of electoral malpractice. For each one, explain its meaning, state one effect on the country and suggest one solution.