A quick note before getting into election day tips — the U.S. Ambassador responded to recent misrepresentation of the U.S. role in Nigeria’s elections. He explains that the United States supports the democratic process and a level playing field, and does not take the side of any party or candidate. He notes the importance that “every Nigerian contribute to making it a democratic, peaceful, free and fair process,” and we are proud of all the YALI Network members hard at work doing just that! (Read the full statement here.)

Now, for those tips…

Make sure you’re prepared to be an informed voter on Saturday! That means knowing about the candidates you will vote for and knowing about the voting process.

First, get smart about the candidates on your ballot and choose who you will vote for.

You can study and compare manifestos of presidential candidates here.
You can review political party manifestos here and compare party manifestos on important issues here.
You can find the names of candidates for Senate here and for the House of Representatives here, and then search for information about the ones for your state.
Then, make sure you know the voting process so that you are prepared to participate fully and so that you can report any irregularities that happen at your polling unit.

Check out this step by step overview of the voting process. Some highlights to know: Polls open at 8:00 am to begin accreditation. In order to vote you must be in line before accreditation closes at 1:00 pm, but be early just in case. After accreditation INEC advises you to stay within the polling area to wait for voting to begin; if you leave, you must return before voters queue for voting, which should be at 1:30 pm (but come back early to make sure). Despite reports to the contrary, INEC confirmed that you can use any finger to mark your ballot but the mark must not stray into another box.
Use these dos and don’ts tips to make the experience comfortable and avoid problems.
Want more details or have more questions? Visit INEC’s new website to see the answers to frequently asked questions.
You can report both poll results and problems on election day. You can use the mobile crowd source election monitoring app made by civil society organization, Zabe. Or report to INEC on itss election hotline 0700-CALL-INEC (0700-2255-4632) or by downloading the INEC app on non-iPhone mobiles.

Remember, these are your elections – make it count!

Regards,
U.S. Mission Nigeria

p.s. It’s not too late to join NaijaVotes by making your pledge here!

** Making It Count: Wrap Up and Ways to Connect **

Do your part to get out the vote!
Voter turnout in Nigeria has been dropping since 2003. You can reverse this trend! Join YIAGA’s get-out-the-vote (GOTV) campaign. It’s easy and fun. Just find 4 other PVC holders to join you and register your team at the GOTV5 site.