As Osun State prepares for the election on August 15, the most important task is to ensure that every valid vote is counted. Yet a surprisingly common and avoidable problem continues to deprive many people, especially our elders, of their rightful voice at the ballot box.
The issue is simple: using the thumb instead of the index finger when making the required fingerprint on the ballot paper.
The space provided for the fingerprint on most ballot papers is deliberately small and clearly marked by lines or boxes. A thumb is broader than an index finger. When an elderly voter presses a full thumb into that limited space, the print frequently spreads beyond the designated lines.
Election officials are then required to treat that ballot as cancelled or invalid. The vote is lost not because the voter chose the wrong candidate, but because of an avoidable technical error.
This is not a rare occurrence. Polling agents and observers routinely report stacks of cancelled ballots caused by oversized thumbprints that overflow the marked area. The result is frustration for the voter and a diminished voice for the community. Our grandmothers and grandfathers, who wait patiently in queues and travel to polling stations, deserve better than to see their effort discarded over something so easily corrected.
The solution is straightforward and requires no special skill: use the tip of the index finger instead of the thumb. The index finger is narrower, produces a clearer and more controlled print, and is far less likely to spill outside the lines. A clean, contained fingerprint within the designated space will be accepted. The vote will be counted. That is all that is required.
This advice is offered with deep respect. Many older citizens grew up in an era when the thumb was the natural and traditional choice for any official mark. Changing a lifelong habit can feel awkward. Yet the ballot paper of today is not the same as the documents of decades past. The rules are strict, the space is limited, and the consequence of a smudged or oversized print is cancellation.
Choosing the index finger is not a sign of weakness or unfamiliarity. It is an act of care for one’s own vote and for the integrity of the process.
Polling officials and party agents can help by gently reminding elderly voters at the point of voting. Families can practice the motion at home before election day so that the action feels natural under the pressure of the polling booth. A few seconds of deliberate care with the index finger can protect a vote that might otherwise be lost.
Every legitimate ballot deserves to be counted. No citizen should lose their franchise because a thumbprint wandered outside a printed line. By simply using the index finger, our elders can ensure that their choice is recorded clearly and counted fully.
Signed:
Comrade James Onifade
Advocate for Good Governance and Judicial Reform
Osun State
