Elections in Uganda

Uganda's electoral framework is based on the 1995 Constitution, the Electoral Commission Act, the Presidential Elections Act and the Parliamentary Elections Act. The independent Electoral Commission organizes and supervises regular elections, defines constituencies, maintains the National Voters Register (NVR), provides civic education and manages polling, result declaration and initial complaints. It works through Returning Officers, Presiding Officers and parish or ward supervisors. A Ugandan citizen aged 18 or older has the constitutional right to vote and must register. Registration takes place in the parish or ward of origin or residence. A voter may vote only when included in the NVR and the relevant Polling Day Register. Transfers are available only during register revision or updating and only to an eligible place of origin or residence. The parish or ward register must be displayed publicly and free of charge for at least 21 days before an election, allowing objections and corrections. For the 2025/26 election cycle, Uganda had 146 districts, 312 counties, 353 constituencies, 10,717 parishes and 50,739 polling stations. The EC reported 21,681,491 registered voters on 13 November 2025. Voter registration costs nothing. The Voter Location Slip was issued from 15 December 2025 to 13 January 2026, but the NVR remains the primary electoral document; a missing slip does not exclude a voter who is properly listed in the register. Voters can check their polling station with their National Identification Number through the EC's available checking process. Polling normally runs from 07:00 to 17:00. Anyone already waiting in the queue at 17:00 remains eligible to vote. Each voter receives one ballot paper and uses one ballot box at the polling station. A permitted mark is a tick or thumbprint. A voter who spoils a ballot may request a replacement under the polling rules. Persons with disabilities, older people and pregnant women receive priority, and a voter with a disability, blindness or advanced age may request assistance. One helper may assist only one voter, and EC staff or candidate agents may not mark a ballot for a voter. The President is elected by secret ballot and must receive more than half of the valid votes. If no candidate reaches that threshold, the two leading candidates contest a runoff within 30 days. The EC must declare the presidential result within 48 hours after polls close. The presidential term is five years. A presidential candidate must be a Ugandan citizen by birth, aged 35 to 75, qualified to serve as a Member of Parliament and supported by at least 100 voters from at least two-thirds of Uganda's districts. Parliament includes directly elected constituency Members of Parliament, one District Woman Representative for each district and representatives for special interest groups, including the army, youth, workers, persons with disabilities and other groups. A parliamentary candidate must be a Ugandan citizen, a registered voter and qualified at Advanced Level or an equivalent qualification. Parliament normally serves a five-year term. A vacancy is filled through a by-election held within at least 60 days. Local elections cover district and city chairpersons, the Lord Mayor or mayors, municipality and city-division leaders, subcounty, town and municipal-division chairpersons and councillors, as well as special-interest-group councillors. Direct polls and electoral conferences are separate processes. In the EC's 2025/26 schedule, presidential, parliamentary and District Woman Representative elections were set for 15 January 2026; workers' representatives for 19 January; other special-interest-group elections for 20 and 21 January; district and city councils for 22 January; municipality and city-division elections for 27 January; regional and national special-interest-group conferences from 28 January to 3 February; lower councils for 4 February; and the National Female Youth Representative for 6 February. Repeat polling may receive a separate date. Counting starts at the polling station immediately after polling closes, and voters may witness it. The Presiding Officer sorts ballots by candidate and identifies invalid ballots, including ballots with no authorized mark, no mark, an extra mark or an unclear choice. Results are counted in bundles of 50 and announced at the station. Copies of the Declaration of Results go to the Returning Officer, candidate agents, the ballot box and the station posting point, together with the results report book and other required materials. Sealed materials move into safe custody for the Returning Officer and the EC tally. The EC addresses written irregularity complaints. A presidential election challenge goes to the Supreme Court within 15 days after result declaration, and the Court must decide it within 45 days. A parliamentary election challenge goes to the High Court within 30 days after publication in the Gazette. The law may require annulment or a fresh poll when a challenge succeeds.