UCCA launches program to educate Ukraine's voters (07/25/04)

UCCA launches program to educate Ukraine's voters

by Vasyl Pawlowsky
Special to The Ukrainian Weekly

KYIV - The Ukrainian Congress Committee of America on July 12 launched its voter education project, "The Power of One." Supported by the National Endowment for Democracy to the tune of $45,000, the project's goal is to provide voters with information to allow them to make an informed decision when casting their ballots for Ukraine's next president on October 31. This is not the first time the UCCA has conducted such a project, in fact it has done so in every one of the elections that have taken place in Ukraine since independence.

"We have been on ground since July 7, and we have been extremely busy since we arrived," Tamara Gallo-Olexy, one of the project's consultants, told The Ukrainian Weekly.

Town hall meetings

"Our overall aim of the project is to inform voters of election issues, and we plan on doing this by stimulating public debate at town hall meetings. In doing so we hope to provide the candidates or their representatives [an opportunity] to meet with the voters in order to discuss and debate important issues during the upcoming elections, in addition to providing equal opportunity for all of the candidates during the campaign," Mrs. Gallo-Olexy added.

The project is to focus on 12 oblasts in the south and east of the country, and will be conducted in a public debate format in which presidential candidates or their representatives will have five minutes to present themselves or their candidate's platform.

In addition to the presentation of candidates' platforms, there will be an opportunity for candidates or their representatives to debate one particular question, as well as for participants in the audience to pose questions. In order to stick to the format, and avoid chaos, that can happen at such events, questions that participants want to ask are written down and screened by the moderator during the public discussion, explained Mrs. Gallo-Olexy.

While the project is to be fully carried out in September-October, Ms. Gallo-Olexy stated that the UCCA has made a number of presentations of the project at the local level, inviting the mass media, local NGOs that are doing voter education and mobilization projects during the election, and local officials.

"The feedback we have been receiving has been pretty positive. In fact many of the candidates understand that it is to their advantage to participate in these types of events," Ms. Gallo-Olexy said.

"We explained the whole program to the Central Election Commission," she added. According to Ms. Gallo-Olexy, the idea of the program as well as its concern for the rights of Ukrainian citizens outside of Ukraine was well received by the vice-chairman of the Central Election Commission, Yaroslav Davydovych.

Voters outside of Ukraine

The UCCA representatives also brought up with the Central Election Commission the fact that the number of Ukrainians living outside of Ukraine is quite substantial. They, too, must have an opportunity to cast their ballots on Election Day, and a comprehensive system must be in place in order to ensure that if they are to vote outside of Ukraine, their names be taken off the electoral list in Ukraine. "The CEC was understanding when we discussed the problems of Ukrainians outside of Ukraine, and they were open to the idea of adding additional polling stations outside of the country, where the demographics demand [it]," Ms. Gallo-Olexy noted.

With 12 oblasts included in the project, there are still a number of other presentations the UCCA has to make in order for the project to be ready to start in September. While there are already 10 candidates registered to run for the presidency, many of the presidential candidates have said it is too early to commit to participating in these town hall meetings, even though that is clearly to their advantage, explained Ms. Gallo-Olexy.

"While meeting with the CEC, Ms. Khristina Lew, another one of the project's consultants, and I also took the time to register as international observers for the election," said Mrs. Gallo-Olexy, adding, "We were the first two observers to register, and we hope that there will be others coming from the U.S. to observe these elections."

Volunteers are needed

Ms. Gallo-Olexy stated that volunteers interested in acting as observers - with volunteers covering their own travel and accommodations in Ukraine - should contact the UCCA's New York office at (212) 228-6840.

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