Main election day, as well as the announcement of preliminary results, is slated for October 5.
Polling stations are ready as early voting for this year’s Federal National Council (FNC) elections starts today. It will run from 9am to 6pm and continue until Thursday, the National Election Committee (NEC) has announced.
“To facilitate the members of the electoral college to exercise their right to vote and ensure widest possible participation in early voting, the NEC has allocated nine polling stations that are distributed across the country,” said Dr Abdul Rahman bin Mohamed Al Owais, Minister of Health and Prevention, Minister of State for FNC Affairs and Chairman of the NEC.
On day one of voting, the central database verification of select members of the electoral college will take place at the main polling station in Abu Dhabi, in the presence of the candidates and their representatives to ensure the transparency of the voting system.
Early voting will proceed through an electronic system, and voters are required to carry their Emirates ID, the only identification document approved by the committee.
Members of the electoral college can vote at any of the polling stations, even if they reside in other emirates.
The nine polling stations are located at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre, Al Ain Convention Centre, Madinat Zayed Wedding Hall, Al Dhafra, Dubai World Trade Centre, Sharjah Cultural and Chess Club, Ajman University, Ras Al Khaimah Exhibition Centre, Etihad Hall in Umm Al Quwain, and Fujairah Exhibition Centre.
Main election day, as well as the announcement of preliminary results, is slated for October 5.
How to vote in four steps
1 Voters insert their Emirates ID cards in the identity reader device. The card can be withdrawn only after the completion of the voting process and after the “here” button is pressed.
2 Voters will see a screen with images of candidates. Each voter can only select one candidate but vote in two ways, either by entering the candidate number or by clicking on the image of their chosen candidate.
3 After selecting the candidate, voters will see an approval screen that contains the image of the chosen candidate. After making sure that the correct candidate has been selected, the voter must either press the “vote” button or press the “vote adjustment” button to undo the selection.
4 They will see a screen confirming the successful completion of the voting process. The ID card can then be withdrawn from the reader.
