The Electoral Commission is mandated by the Constitution of the Republic of Uganda (1995), Article 60, to organize, conduct and supervise elections and referenda. In fulfillment of this mandate the Commission has embarked on preparations to conduct elections for Special Interest Groups (Youth, Older Persons and Persons with Disabilities) Committees/Councils at the Village/Cell, Parish/Ward, Subcounty/ Division/Municipal, District/Municipality and National level, 2020/2021 General Elections.

Special Interests Groups Elections will be conducted taking into consideration the Standard Operating Procedures put in place to control the spread of COVID – 19 by the Ministry of Health.

The category, level and mode of elections for Special Interest Groups

The nomination requirements for Special Interest Groups are;
 

Youth

·       Is a Citizen of Uganda

·       A registered voter in the Youth Council Register

·       Has attained the age of 18 years and is below 30 years

·       Resides in the village/Cell

·       Willing to be a member of the village youth council for which the youth Committee is being elected

·       Nomination fees and academic qualifications are not a requirement

·       Due to the COVID - 19 situation all those accessing the nomination venue should wear face masks

Persons With Disabilities

• Is a Citizen of Uganda
• A registered voter in the PWD Council Register
• Has attained the age of 18 years or above
• Resides in the village/cell
• Is a member of the PWD Council for which a PWD Committee is being elected
• Nomination fees and academic qualifications are not a requirement Due to the COVID - 19 situation all those accessing the nomination venue should wear face masks

Older persons

• Is a Citizen of Uganda
• A registered voter in the Older Persons Council Register
• Has attained the age of 60 years or above
• Resides in the village/cell for village elections
• Is a member of the Older Persons Council for which the older persons committee is being elected
• Nomination fees and academic qualifications are not a requirement
• Due to the COVID - 19 situation all those accessing the nomination venue should wear face masks

Nomination procedure

1. Nominations of candidates for SIG elections shall be made by candidates submitting duly filled forms to the Returning officer in person
2. Nomination papers shall be signed by the candidate and seconded by two registered SIG voters
3. Nomination of candidates for SIGs elections may be made by a political party/organization
4. No nomination fees are required for nomination of SIG committees
5. No academic qualifications are required for nomination of SIG candidates
6. Where only one candidate is nominated at close of nomination days, a person so nominated shall be declared elected unopposed
7. Independent candidates must ensure that they select and are allocated symbols before leaving the nomination centre.

Programme and activities on polling day

On polling day the following measures should be observed;-

i. Washing Hands
ii. Wearing face masks
iii. Social distancing (at least two metres apart)

Vote counting and declaration of results

i. The Presiding officer and his/her assistants shall count the voters lining behind each candidate at the polling station

ii. In the case of a tie, the Presiding Officer shall, after a break of five minutes cause a repeat of the exercise by allowing voters line up behind the candidates that tied in the first position

iii. Each Presiding Officer shall immediately after counting or recounting declare elected candidate who has obtained the highest number of votes

adidas Mutator