Uganda’s Electoral Commission chairperson Justice Simon Byabakama has urged voters to remain at polling stations after casting their ballots during the upcoming Local Council One (LC1) elections, warning that early departure could limit their chances of participating in village leadership.
Speaking during an interview on NBD Television on Monday, Byabakama said the electoral process at village level goes beyond voting, stressing that community members play a direct role in forming local leadership structures.
“When you vote in the LC I elections, don’t go home. Stay at the polling station until the entire electoral process is concluded,” he said.
Uganda is set to hold LC1 elections on July 28 across tens of thousands of villages, marking a significant return of grassroots polls after years of delays.
The elections will be conducted using the traditional lining-up system, where voters stand behind candidates instead of using secret ballots.
Byabakama explained that staying at the polling station allows voters to be considered for positions within the village executive committee, which is constituted immediately after the chairperson is elected.
“The village chairperson can only appoint members to the executive committee from among those who are present at the polling station,” he said.
He cautioned that voters who leave immediately after voting effectively remove themselves from consideration for these roles.
“If you leave immediately after voting, you deny the chairperson the opportunity to select you to serve on the village executive committee,” he added.
The Electoral Commission boss also defended the continued use of the open voting system, citing financial constraints.
“Government recognised long ago that conducting LC elections by secret ballot would be prohibitively expensive,” Byabakama said.
He noted that despite logistical and financial challenges, the Commission has undertaken extensive preparations ahead of polling day.
“The Electoral Commission has undertaken extensive activities, including voter registration, display of the voters’ register, and preparations for polling day,” he said.
The LC1 elections are expected to restore grassroots leadership structures and enhance community-level governance, with village leaders playing a central role in dispute resolution, mobilisation, and local administration.