How do I vote? What am I supposed to do on D-Day? We have answers to all your questions about the 2023 elections

The 2023 general election holds in a few days. Barring any last-minute change, the presidential and national assembly elections will take place on Saturday, February 25, 2023, while the governorship and state assembly elections will take place two weeks later on Saturday, March 11, 2023.

After the Independent National  Assembly did a mop-up exercise, 93,469,008 persons were certified to participate in the coming elections which is 464,924 or 11.3 per cent more than the 84,004,084 recorded in the 2019 general elections. 

Below are the frequently asked questions about the 2023 general elections and their responses.

• Will elections take place in all 36 states of the federation?

While the presidential and national assembly elections will take place in all states, governorship elections will only take place in 31 states. Governorship elections will take place later in the year on November 11 in Kogi, Imo and Bayelsa states.

• Can I vote without my physical Permanent Voter’s Card (PVC)? Will photocopy or picture evidence be enough?

No. Only the physical authentic PVC can be used to vote. This is because information on the card will be authenticated through the use of a Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS).

• Can I vote outside of my polling unit?

No. Voting can only be done at designated polling units. Each polling unit has a voters’ register and only those whose names appear there can vote.

• Can people with disability participate in the electoral process?

Yes. INEC has made provisions for people with disability to be able to exercise their constitutional rights. Electoral officers have been trained to help people with disabilities at the polling unit.

• Can I change my mind about my electoral choice after voting?

No. You can only be allowed to vote once.

• Can I help my aged parents to cast their vote by taking their cards to the polling unit and voting their choice?

No. Voting can only be done in person by the card owner and cannot be delegated.

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• Will the picture of the candidate be on the ballot?

No. Only the logo of the parties will be on the ballot.  Names and photographs of candidates will not be on the ballot.

• Are names assigned to each ballot?

No. Names are not assigned to the ballot but each ballot has a serial number. There is no way of telling which voter voted for which candidate.

• What happens if there is violence at my polling unit or the ballot box is snatched?

The presiding officer will indicate this in the provided form and the election will likely be cancelled at the collation centre or rescheduled. In the case where the difference in the votes between the candidate that comes first and second is less than the number of cancelled votes, a new election may be rescheduled in places where elections were cancelled.

• What happens if I am still in the queue till 2 pm and I have not voted?

Those in the queue before 2 pm will be allowed to vote until the last person has voted. Those who get to the polling unit after 2 pm will not be allowed to vote.