[Ugnet] Poor Voter Turnout Mars Referendum

Yesterday's referendum to decide the country's future political system was marred by a remarkably low voter turnout.

Although polling officials were set at 7am, voters trickled in in miserable numbers in all parts of the country.

In some centres ballot boxes were not opened until 9am because polling assistants did not have the requisite five voters to witness the exercise.

Rains in several parts of the country also disrupted the dull exercise.

Some people attributed the low voter turnout to lack of civic education ahead of the referendum, while others said they did not understand the exercise at all. Turnout figures were not expected to reach anywhere near those of the June 2000 referendum on political systems or past elections.

In the 2000 referendum, the nationwide turnout was 51%, representing 4,765,724 votes out of the 9,609,703 registered voters then. The question then was simpler: "Which political system do you wish to adopt, Movement or Multiparty?

Many people dismissed this year's question as a mouthful. It read, "Do you agree to open up the political space to allow those who wish to join different organizations/parties to do so to compete for political power?

Many voters across the country told Daily Monitor they neither understood the question nor what the entire exercise was about.

In Kampala, turnout remained low until the close of voting. At Mutundwe police post polling station, 33 people out of the 488 registered voters had voted by 11.30 a.m.

At Rubaga Secondary school, 11 people out of 234 registered voters had voted by 10 am. Emmanuel Cardinal Wamala was one of the few people who turned out to vote there.

At all stations there were no polling agents for the 'NO' side. One of the groups in the NO side announced on Wednesday that it had pulled out of the exercise because of inadequate funding from the Electoral Commission.

At Nakivubo Primary School, only 150 of the 1,059 registered voters had voted by 2p.m, and at Nakasero market only 90 of 488 registered voters had cast their ballots.

In Gulu municipality, only about 7 percent of those registered had voted by midday, while at Paminayai polling station in Nwoya County only eight out of 215 registered voters had cast their ballots.

There were no voter queues as it happens during other elections.

In Arua Municipality, just about 13 percent of registered voters in 23 polling stations visited by the Daily Monitor including Vurra, Oluko, Adumi, Pajulu and Aroi sub-counties, had voted by 2pm.

At Muni "A" polling station, where Gender minister Zoe Bakoko voted, only 174 out of 775 expected voters had turned up by noon. Bakoko said, "We had anticipated this low turn-out due to inadequate civic education by the Electoral Commission."

In Kamuli, most of the polling stations failed to start at 9 p.m. due to failure to raise the mandatory five voters to witness the opening of the voting materials. In Tororo, a number of voters attributed the low turnout and the confusion to lack of sufficient civic education.

Although some civic education was done in the last days to the referendum, the period was too short for the civic educators to reach the masses in most parts of the district.

Reports from the districts of Mbale, Kumi, Sironko and Busia indicated that by 3p.m. voter turnout had not yet reached even a quarter of the registered voters at most polling stations.

Some of the few who turned up were disappointed not to find their names and photographs on the voter registers.

At Mbale regional hospital, only 50 out of 880 registered voters had cast their ballots by 1p.m. In rural Mbale, at Bungokho subcounty headquarters, where 1047 people were expected to vote, only 74 had turned up by noon.

The story was not any different in Busia. At Mawere East Mango Tree polling station, only 150 out of 906 registered voters had cast their ballots by 4p.m.

Sironko was among those that registered the least turnout. For instance at Buyobo Sub county Headquarters, only 31 out of the expected 573 had voted by 3p.m. Sironko District Registrar George Miyingo blamed the low voter turnout on the poorly managed civic education saying many people were ignorant about the referendum.

In Kumi the town council Mayor Mr Stephen Omaido said the boycott called by the opposition had played a great role in the low turn out.

"They have been telling the people not to show up and it looks like the message sank in the voters' heads," he said.

In the western districts of Kabarole, Kyenjojo, Kamwenge and Bundibugyo, a heavy morning downpour disrupted the voting exercise.

However, turnout was higher there than in many other parts of the country.

In Rakai, polling officials at the various polling stations were sitting idly for hours as they waited for voters. At most polling stations in Kyotera town council, less than 10 voters had cast their votes by 10a.m.

"It is meaningless. The outcome is already known. I have no reason to waste my time," a boda boda cyclist said.

In Masaka municipality, not a single one of the 54 polling stations had registered a 10% turnout for the exercise by 1 p.m.

At Cinema cell polling station, only 15 out of 431 registered voters had voted by 2.30p.m. At Town Yard polling station, only 33 out of the expected 738 registered voters had turned up by early afternoon.

The usual excitement in the entire town during elections was missing. Ms Molly Nnakkazi Zawedde, a textile shop owner along Elgin Road said, "I have no clear understanding of what was going on. Whether I vote the tree or the house Museveni will be the winner."

There was also a poor voter turnout in Mbirizi, Kinoni, Lukaya and Kalungu Trading Centres. In Sembabule, the low turn out was attributed to drought that has sent most people in Rugasulu and Rwemiyaga in search of water and pasture for their animals.

In Kabale, many people had not turned up by midday saying they had not been properly sensitized about the referendum.

In Kayunga, local council officials were moving door to door to mobilise people to go and cast their vote.

In Kiboga, rain, which started in the early afternoon, forced most people to stay at home most of the day. Also, ballot boxes for some polling stations were delayed due to confusion in transportation.

In other polling stations such as Watuba, only 150 voters out of 750 had turned up by 3p.m.

Jinja also witnessed poor voter turn out and several complaints of missing names from the voter registers.

"The low turn out can be partly attributed to our calls for people to stay away from the sham that this referendum is," said Mr. Harry Kasigwa, the opposition FDC district coordinator.

[Ugnet] Poor Voter Turnout Mars Referendum

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