Voters in Jinja have come up with a set of proposals urging the electoral commission to shape up its act.
Ugandans go to the polls in 2011 to elect the president, parliamentary representatives and local council representatives.
Cautious about the possible irregularities that could fraught the election and render it incredible, some voters in Jinja have asked the electoral commission to streamline its polling procedures to pave way for a poll unfettered by either fraud or violence.
Of particular concern, the voters say is the shady system of recruiting supervisors, casting votes, counting the votes and transporting final results to the main tally center.
While vote counting appears straightforward, the voters in Jinja say ensuring the accurate counting of votes has so far proved difficult.
The voters point to inadequate access to the voting process, inaccurate counting, and late results, as some of the major obstacles to the democratic process. They argue that with these anomalies still looming large, the electoral commission has a tough task to declare results that are convincing to the electorate.
In 2006, Ballot boxes from Butagaya, Budondo, Buyengo and several other islands in Jinja, were dispatched late in the night, changing the outlook of the poll results that had earlier been declared from Jinja.
Wycliff Ofwono, a voter in Walukuba, Zabef village, says polling and counting of votes has rarely been conducted on time, paving way for irregularities. He suggests that the electoral commission should speed up the process of vote counting and transportation of final results to the nearest sub counties.
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Voters in Jinja also want access to the voting process. They argue that the election process must be conducted in public view, and each step of the process, must be comprehensible to the ordinary voters.
David Lukakamwa, a voter in Butembe constituency, wonders why the police and other security personel are deployed at polling centers and admits that the role of these officers remains a puzzle to the voters.
Lukakamwa points to an incident in 2006, when some policemen were seen guiding voters through the voting process. He says the electoral commission must publicly declare what role the police and other security agencies play at a polling station.
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Sula Sentongo, the LC III chairman for Bugembe Town council, wants independence electoral commission. He says an independent electoral commission will be able to organize election free of any interference. He says an independent electoral commission is a major recipe for voter confidence in the electoral process.
Flavia Mujulizi, Jinja electoral commission returning officer, is happy with the issues raised by the voters in Jinja. She admits that a transparent electoral commission will pave way for a violent free electoral process in Uganda.
