For each elective, IEBC provides ballot papers that have a different color during the election. In the 2013 elections, ballot papers for the presidential post were white in colour. We had yellow ballot papers for the senator post, beige for the member of county assembly, blue for the governor position, green for member of national assembly and purple for the county women representative. When voting, this is how you should mark a ballot paper:

1. Use a single mark on the ballot paper

To ensure that your vote is valid, ensure that you place a single mark in the blank box provided alongside your preferred candidate in a manner that is clearly visible. This mark can be a tick, an X or a dot. For assisted voters who cannot write, a fingerprint placed alongside the preferred candidate is acceptable. Failure to put a mark on a ballot paper means that your vote, though cast, will be rejected because it does not indicate your preferred choice.

2. Only place a mark alongside one candidate

Ensure that you put a mark alongside one candidate only. This makes it clear who your candidate of choice is. Avoid putting a mark alongside two or more candidates. Doing so will result to your vote being rejected because during tallying, it would be difficult to tell which candidate you intended to vote for.

3. Keep your mark within the box

When putting a mark on a ballot paper, ensure that it does not go outside the blank box of the candidate you intend to vote for. Your mark should remain within the within the frame of the blank box so that it is clear who your choice candidate is. Putting a long mark that crosses over to another candidate’s marking space spoils your vote.

4. Do not write on the ballot paper

The law only requires voters to indicate their decision using a single mark that is either a tick, an X, a dot or a fingerprint. To guarantee validity of your vote, avoid writing the candidate’s name or your name, or signing on the ballot paper. Doing this will render your vote invalid. Only use an acceptable mark to indicate who you wish to vote for.

5. Fold the ballot paper and put it in the ballot box

After placing a mark against your candidate of choice, fold the ballot paper through the center from left to right and put it into the ballot box. By doing this, you ensure your vote remains a secret and no one else gets to see who you have voted for. The process of putting the ballot paper in the ballot box is known as casting the vote. Of importance is to ensure that you put your ballot papers in the correct ballot box i.e. the president’s vote goes to the ballot box labelled ‘president’, the governor’s vote goes to the ballot box labelled ‘governor’ etc. An easy way to tell which vote to put in what ballot box is use colors. Put your ballot papers in ballot boxes whose lid color corresponds with that of the ballot paper. For instance, put the green ballot paper in the ballot box that has a green lid. Putting the ballot paper in the wrong box makes it invalid because during tallying, it will be rejected.

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