Secret Ballot to Replace Lining Up in Next Women’s Elections, EC Says

What the report says

The Electoral Commission of Uganda says it will end the use of lining up behind candidates in the remaining stages of the women’s committee elections and switch to secret ballot at district and national levels. The announcement, reported by Nile Post, was made by EC spokesperson Julius Mucunguzi as women voted on Tuesday, August 18, 2026, in sub-county, municipal division and town council elections.

According to the commission, Tuesday’s polls are the last in the women’s committee process to use the lining-up method. The next rounds, which will take place later at district and national level, will use secret voting instead. Mucunguzi said the change is intended for the remaining phases after the current local-level exercise is completed.

The voting exercise covers 2,165 sub-counties, municipal divisions and town councils across the country. The women’s committees are being elected through an electoral college made up of parish representatives within each administrative unit, with five voters drawn from each parish. The committee roles include chairperson, vice chairperson, secretary and other positions set out for the local women’s structures.

Mucunguzi urged candidates and voters to follow Electoral Commission rules and maintain peace during the process. In general, the move to secret ballot at higher levels reflects a shift away from public voting methods that have been used in some local elections in Uganda, though the commission’s announcement focused specifically on the women’s committee polls.