REGISTRATION
Anyone who holds the following status at the time of registration may be registered as a voter:
1. Is a citizen of Uganda;
2. Has attained the minimum age of 18 years;
3. Is a resident, or originates from that parish where he/she intends to vote.
The registration team may be found at the following locations:
1. Office of the District Registrar, located at every district headquarters, in Uganda;
2. At the Voter Registration section at Electoral Commission headquarters, Kampala and
3. When the mobile teams announce their programmes in the Parishes, or at the Show grounds, or at major functions.
Legal Basis for Voter Registration
The legal basis for conducting voter registration in Uganda is Article 59(1) of the Constitution of Uganda (1995), which states that: It is the duty of every citizen of Uganda of eighteen years of age or above to register as a voter for public elections and referenda.
According to section 19(1) of the Electoral Commission Act (1997), a person aged at least 18 years and he/she is citizen of Uganda may register as a voter in a parish where he/she originates from or resides.
Thus, a Voters' roll for each polling station in a parish has been compiled and only persons whose names appear on the roll are entitled to vote at an election (Section 19(12) Electoral Commission Act 1997).
1.
The National Photo-Bearing Voters’ Register (PVRIS OR NVR)
This is the Basic Register in current use at any general election. It
is the one used in the Presidential elections, Directly Elected Members
of Parliament, District Woman Members of Parliament, Local Government
Chairpersons, Directly elected Councilors, and Women Councilors at the
District, Municipality, and Sub County levels. Voting at all these elections
are by Universal Adult Suffrage and by Secret Ballot.
The
PVRIS Register bears the Voter’s bio-data, which includes the
following:
• Passport Photograph;
• Surname and other names;
• Electoral areas, i.e., District, Constituency, Sub County, Parish,
Village, and Polling Station;
• The Date of Birth and Sex; &.
• Voters Code number.
Those whose names are not included in this register do not enjoy any
of the benefits of a voter as mentioned above.
2.
Special Interest Groups’ Register:
The Constitution of the Republic of Uganda seeks redress on certain
interest groups, which by virtue of history were marginalized. It provides
for affirmative action with their representation at some strategic levels
of government.
Elections of representatives of these groups are normally constituted
by designated Electoral Colleges using such registers. Their mode of
voting is still by secret ballot.
The Electoral College Registers bear similar bio-data as those of the
PVRIS Register.
Any
person whose names appear on the Electoral College register may vote,
but only those whose names appear on the PVRIS register may contest
for any positions of leadership.The Special Interest groups include:
• Workers, represented only in Parliament.
• Persons With Disability, represented at all levels,
• Youth, represented at all levels,
• Uganda Peoples Defense Force, represented at Parliament.
3.The Village Roll:
Elections of the Village Local Council Executives, is provided for in the Local Government Act currently being amended, uses a village text register, which bears names and other particulars of the registered residents in that village.
The bona-fide village councilor may not necessarily be Ugandan by citizenship, but as long as such persons are of 18 years and above and reside or originate in that village, they are entitled to vote. Uganda currently has approximately 50,000 villages and each village is perceived as a polling station; hence 50,000 village registers.
THE IMPORTANCE OF REGISTERING AS A VOTER:
A registered voter enjoys the following privileges:
• He/She may contest for any desired elective posts,
• He/She is permitted to nominate or second a candidate of his
choice or sign supporters list during nominations.
• He/She is allowed to vote for a candidate of his choice.
• He/She is allowed to sign a petition to seek redress, in the
event of any election results.
• He/She is issued with a full-colored photo bearing Voter’s
Card.
The
Voter’s card has attracted several benefits to the holders, namely:
• It currently stands out as a trusted and valid identity for
any Ugandan,
• It is recognized and accepted in the Processing of Bank accounts,
Loans, Micro-finance, etc
• It is accepted in the Ugandan Courts of Law.
• It is strong, long lasting, portable and beautiful to the eye.