Voters Education Forum

Vision
To shape a more informed, intelligent and responsible electorate.

Mission
To engage the electorate in a Real Time Simulation of election procedures involving the voter’s actual interaction with Precinct Count Optical Scanner (PCOS).

JCI Mandaue, together with partner organizations, implemented a VOTERS EDUCATION FORUM last April 27, 2010 at UC Banilad Audio-Visual Room in order to shape a more informed, intelligent and responsible electorate.

Voter education is one of the necessary ways in ensuring the effective exercise of article 25 rights of the International Convention on Civil and Political Rights by an informed community. For without a well-informed electorate, it is impossible to guarantee that elections genuinely reflect the will of the people.

Thus, JCI Mandaue together with its partner organizations and sponsors promotes the exercise of the RIGHT TO SUFFRAGE through education and information, calls for the following:

  1. Non-partisan civic education should aim to inform voters as to the “WHO, WHAT, WHEN, WHERE and HOW” of registration and voting. It should also help to inform the public on issues such as why they should participate and what guarantees are in place to protect their right to participate confidently in the process.
  2. Voter information should be accessible to all members of society, regardless of their language or level of literacy. As such, voter education materials should be multimedia and multilingual, and culturally appropriate for various social groups.
  3. Civil education activities should also include specially targeted training for certain professional groups in order to prepare them for their respective votes in the electoral process. These may include such groups as registration and polling officials, police and security personnel, the media, political parties, etc..

Benefit to the Community

Stakeholders of the Voters’ Education Forum does not only limit to the new and young electorates of Cebu. Indirectly, it is significant to the old voters as well. Through the informed and turned responsible young electorates that participated the Forum, they are encouraged to share what they had learned from the forum. Through this, it is therefore expected that participants do share this to their significant others, love ones, families, friends and circle of influence.

Moreover, the Voters’ Education Forum also help the government agencies perform their duties with emphasis on the help given to the Commission on Elections for their preparation for the May 10, 2010 National and Local Elections.

Furthermore, the Voters’ Education Forum help the National Youth Commission undertakes its program on youth empowerment. The Voters’ Education Forum is a mind setting activity of the youth to be active and take part of the activities of nation building.

In addition, it gives the media (trimedia – radio, print and television) the venue to gather the right information to be reported and shared.

Lastly and most importantly, the Voters’ Education Forum reiterates the JCI tenets that “Government should be of laws, rather than of men”. The Voters’ Education Forum highlights the empowerment of the Filipino nation to take part of the nation building through the exercise of the right to suffrage.