The National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE) has appealed for massive voter turnout during the December 28 District Level elections. It said the general apathy that had over the years characterized local elections needed to change since this was not helpful to the strengthening of grassroots participation. Mr Samuel Akuamoah, Director of Public Education, NCCE Headquarters, noted that the district assembly concept had brought development to the doorstep of the people and for that matter it was imperative for them to show interest in the running of the district assemblies. Mr Akuamoah was speaking at a Public Education Forum on the district assembly and unit committee elections at Muronam near Amantia in the Asante Akim South District. He said the perennial low voter turnout in assembly elections was not only a negligence of civic responsibilities on the part of the electorate but also denied the assemblies of competent persons they needed to facilitate their development agenda. Mr Akuamoah said it was difficult to understand the people when they blamed the assemblies for lack of development in their communities since they showed little or no interest in the election representatives to the assemblies. Mr Yakubu Alhassan, Ashanti Regional Director of the Commission, who took participants through the electoral process, asked them to make this year's election stand out as a big success by voting in their numbers. He said the election was a significant national exercise which every eligible patriotic citizen must participate in, stressing the need for chiefs to encourage their subjects to get involved. Source: GNA