Election Commission Intensifies Voter Education Program Ahead of Polls

Kathmandu. The Election Commission has been vigorously advancing its voter education program with the objective of informing the general electorate about the elections.

With the aim of making voters aware of their franchise rights and training them for correct voting procedures, the Election Commission is continuously disseminating awareness materials on digital platforms. The Commission stated that the education program has been launched to provide voters with accurate and genuine information and to reduce the incidence of invalid votes.

With the goal of extending the awareness being conducted on digital platforms down to the ward level, the Commission has approved and is implementing a special voter education program since Magh 19. According to the approved program, one volunteer will be deployed in every ward of each local level unit. The selection method for volunteers has been determined to be from among the Child Development Facilitators, Maternal and Child Health Workers, local health volunteers, or Community Study Center mobilizers working at the local level, with the respective election office initiating the selection process.

Agreements have also been finalized with government-owned media outlets and regulatory bodies from various sectors for the production and effective mobilization of voter education materials. The Commission has already reached agreements with the Rastriya Samachar Samiti (RSS), Nepal Public Service Broadcasting, Gorkhapatra Sansthan, the Advertising Board, and the media regulatory body, Press Council Nepal.

The Commission believes that effective voter education will enhance voters' ability to understand the voting process, marking their ballots correctly, and identifying misinformation, thereby playing a crucial role in ensuring free, fair, and credible elections. The election for the House of Representatives is scheduled for the upcoming Falgun 21. There is a provision for electing 165 members through the first-past-the-post system and 110 members through the proportional representation system.