Voters Must Bring Voter ID Card to Polling Stations, Election Commission Clarifies

Kathmandu. The Election Commission has stated that voters must compulsorily bring their voter identity card when going to cast their votes. Speaking to journalists on Tuesday, Commission Spokesperson Narayan Prasad Bhattarai provided clear information regarding the voting process and necessary documents for the convenience of the voters.

Spokesperson Bhattarai stated that education regarding voting has been provided at the doorsteps of homes and neighborhoods through digital means and volunteers under the voter education program.

Voters must compulsorily bring their voter identity card when going to vote. If, for any reason, the voter identity card is lost, damaged, or destroyed, the Commission has made arrangements for voters to cast their vote by showing the original copy of their Nepali citizenship certificate, passport, national identity card, driving license, or land ownership certificate (Lalpuja).

Upon reaching the polling station, the voter's name will be verified in the voter list. Subsequently, the voter will be given the ballot paper for the First-Past-The-Post (FPTP) system. After going to the secret voting booth, they must stamp the election symbol of their preferred candidate and cast it into the ballot box designated for the FPTP system.

He said, 'We have been operating this digital voter education for voter education since before, and from the 3rd to the 17th, all voter education volunteers provided voter education by reaching homes and neighborhoods. Besides that, we believe that the voter education provided by political parties and the information disseminated by mass media have also reached many voters. Overall, when voters reach the polling center, they will have their voter ID card with them, or if it is lost, damaged, or destroyed, they will have the original copy of their citizenship certificate, passport, national identity card, driving license, or Lalpuja in hand when they reach the polling center. After verifying whether their name is in the voter list upon reaching the polling center, they will be provided with the ballot paper for the First-Past-The-Post system. After going to the secret voting booth and voting for their preferred candidate by stamping the symbol of that candidate, they will cast it into the ballot box designated for the FPTP system. After that, they will be provided with the ballot paper for the Proportional Representation (PR) system nearby. Since voting for the PR system requires voting for a political party, they will vote for their preferred political party and cast it into the other ballot box kept there. And then, we have arranged the polling stations such that the entry and exit gates are separate as much as possible, so that there is no unnecessary crowding and voters do not face difficulty going there. Therefore, the entry and exit gates are made different, so the voter will enter through one gate, and after completing the voting process, they will exit through another gate and go home. The necessary arrangements for voting have been made accordingly.'

Spokesperson Bhattarai stated that immediately after voting for the FPTP system, the voter will be provided with the ballot paper for the PR system. In this, they must stamp the election symbol of their preferred political party and cast it into the other ballot box. Separate doors for entry and exit have been arranged at the polling stations to reduce crowding and facilitate movement.