By KT Reporter
The Electoral Commission has revealed that it has updated the Declaration Forms to ensure the credibility of the election results.
A declaration form is a document that is used to record results from elections at a polling station. The declaration form captures the votes got by each candidate, the total votes cast at the polling station, invalid and spoiled votes, among other information.
It’s signed by Presiding officers and agents for each candidate before it’s transmitted to the tally centre to add final results to declare the winners.
However, in recent years, there have been reports that some people have been forging the declarations and others have altered the results in favour of certain candidates before they are transported to returning officers.
Now, Anthony Okello, the Commissioner in Charge of the Electoral Commission Central North and Westnile subregions, said this will no longer be an issue following the introduction of barcodes on declaration forms, which will be readable by the Biometric Voter Verification Kit (BVVK)
Okello explained that, like ballot papers, the declaration forms will also be customised to specific polling stations, and once the results are sealed and signed by all agents, the Presiding officer will take a photo using the camera on the BVVK before they are transported to the returning officer.
Okello adds that the returning officer will scan barcodes on each DR form to confirm the authenticity of the results, and if it’s altered, this will be rejected.
Tolbert Musinguzi, the Regional Election Officer for Central North, said that the BVV machines will also detect forged DR forms.
Ersatus Kibirango, the LC 5 Chairman of Luwero district, and Sam Kigula, the LC 5 Chairman of Nakasongola district, welcomed the introduction of barcodes, saying such innovation will be difficult to bypass by election fraudsters.
Kigula said that in past, some candidates could bribe the presiding officers during the transportation of DR forms, and they would alter results, hence causing loss to genuine winners.
Erastus Kibirango, the LC 5 Chairman of Luwero district, said that they intend to sensitise their agents on the updates on DR forms and ensure no gap can be used to alter results before they are sealed.
Yahya Mubiru, the Nakaseke District Male Workers Councillor, said the updated DR forms will also help in auditing results since data can be retrieved as it was captured at the polling station without any alteration.
Without the introduction of a mandatory Biometric Voter Verification system, EC also revealed that each polling station will get customised ballot papers with printed barcodes, which shall be scanned to confirm validity before elections go on.
The EC says the move is intended to ensure no ballot papers are transported from one polling station to another to aid in vote rigging-URN. Give us feedback on this story through our email: kamwokyatimes@gmail.com
