About Voting

What is Voting?

Voting is the act of choosing a leader by way of filling out a ballot paper during an election.

Why Vote?

All qualified voters have the right to vote, as stipulated under the Organic Law on National and Local Level Government Elections. Voting enables us to elect a leader which will represent our voice in government. "The Government is chosen by us, which means that any power they have is power we gave them. If we get a bad government then, as citizens, we have a responsibility to change the government through political actions, the most important being the use of our vote." extracted from TIPNG's Worksheets for by-election in NCD.

Who can Vote?

To qualify to vote in an election, you must:

  • have your name on the Electoral Roll for your Electorate. ( see Enrolment qualifications )
  • NOT have already voted in your electorate or elsewhere during the election
  • give your full name to the Presiding Officer and any other information they may require to identify you as a voter

How to Vote?

I. Ordinary Voting

Step 1: As a first step to voting during the Polling period of an election, the Poll Clerk will look for your name on the Electoral Roll (if you have not already voted in the election). If your name is found, they will mark it off and mark your left little finger with indelible ink and then give you a ballot paper.

There will be two documents at the Polling Booth to enable you to vote:

  1. The Candidate Poster (placed within the Polling Booth)
  2. The Ballot Paper

Step 2: Take the Ballot Paper to a voting compartment and mark your ballot paper in private, in the following way:

  1. Write the candidate's number or name (who you prefer first) beside the box labelled 1.
  2. Write the candidate's number or name (who you prefer second) beside the box labelled 2.
  3. Write the candidate's number or name (who you prefer third) beside the box labelled 3.

Step 3: Fold your ballot paper in half and insert it in the ballot box provided and leave the Polling Booth.

II. Postal Voting

If you think you will not be able to vote at a polling place on an election day, then you must apply for a postal ballot paper on the 10th day after the issue of writ. Your name must be on the Electoral Roll for that electorate.

Note that a person to whom a Postal Vote Certificate has been issued is not entitled to vote at a polling place unless he/she first delivers to the Presiding Officer the cancellation of his/her Postal Vote Certificate, the Candidate Poster and the Postal Ballot Paper. (Ref: Postal Voting Section 142 on the Organic Law on National and Local Level Government Elections)

III. Help for Voters

If you are unable to vote without help due to poor eyesight, you cannot read or write, or a physically disabled, then you may choose a family member or someone to help you fill out a ballot paper. A polling official may assist only at your request.

Where to Vote?

You may vote at a Polling Place published in the particular Polling Schedule provided during an election. Polling schedules are published in the National Gazette, local newspapers, the PNGEC Website ( see Polling Schedules ), and also produced as handbills for candidates and the public.

When to Vote?

The Polling date will be published in the the PNGEC Website ( see the 2007 Election Timetable ), National Gazette, local newspapers, and other media sources.