Low Turnout Raises Concern as Tororo Residents Shun Voters’ Register Display Exercise

EC boss Simon Byabakama

The display of the National Voters Register ahead of Local Council I elections in Tororo Municipality has recorded low participation, with election officials blaming limited sensitisation and residents citing fear of public voting.

TORORO — The display of the National Voters Register ahead of the forthcoming Local Council I elections has ended in Tororo Municipality with a low turnout, raising concerns over voter awareness and participation.

At Bison A Cell, only 44 of the 546 registered voters expected to participate in the elections turned up during the two-day exercise to verify their details.

Mercy Ekaal, the Display Officer at the centre, expressed concern over the poor response from residents.

“I have 546 registered voters. Today is the second day of the display exercise. Yesterday, only 40 people turned up, and today, so far, only four have come. I don’t know why people are not coming to verify their details,” Ekaal said.

A similar situation was reported at Agururu A3 Cell, where only 56 out of 468 registered voters verified their particulars before the exercise ended.

Dennis Lugoye, the Display Officer at Agururu A3 Cell, attributed the low participation to inadequate public awareness about the exercise.

“I have 468 registered voters, but only 56 have so far come to verify their names. I think the turnout has been low because of inadequate sensitisation. Most of the information was shared through radio and television, yet many people do not have access to those platforms,” Lugoye said.

Some residents also blamed the voting method used in Local Council I elections, where voters publicly line up behind their preferred candidates, saying it discourages some people from taking part.

Stephen Ochieng, a resident of Agururu A3 Cell, said many voters fear being openly identified with candidates because they live in the same communities.

“We have four people contesting for the position and many voters are afraid because everyone lives in the same community. They fear being seen lining up behind a candidate. That is why many people are not participating in this exercise and I think the situation could be even worse during the elections,” Ochieng said.

Another resident, Moses Adyoma, urged the Electoral Commission to adopt more community-based sensitisation approaches to improve public awareness.

“In the past, officials used loudspeakers and moved around villages informing people about such exercises. This time, they relied mainly on television and radio, yet many people either do not have access to them or do not get the information in time,” Adyoma said.

With the register display exercise concluded, election officials and local leaders now face the challenge of increasing voter awareness and participation ahead of the long-awaited Local Council I elections.