The Electoral Commission has unveiled a new security upgrade aimed at tightening the credibility of Uganda’s election results, the introduction of barcoded Declaration of Results (DR) forms.
Declaration forms are the official documents used to record polling station results, including votes per candidate, total votes cast, and spoiled or invalid ballots.
They are signed by presiding officers and candidate agents before being sent to tally centres for final result compilation.
However, past elections have been marred by allegations of forged or altered DR forms during transportation to returning officers.
That risk, the Commission says, is now being eliminated.
Anthony Okello, the Electoral Commission Commissioner in charge of Central North and West Nile sub-regions, confirmed that the new DR forms will carry unique barcodes readable by the Biometric Voter Verification Kit (BVVK). Like ballot papers, each form will be customized to a specific polling station, making duplication nearly impossible.
Okello explained that once results are entered and signed by all agents, the presiding officer will capture a photo of the completed DR form using the BVVK camera before sealing and transporting it. On arrival, returning officers will scan the barcode to verify authenticity. Any altered or fake form will be automatically rejected.
The move is expected to significantly reduce election fraud claims and boost public confidence as the country prepares for the next polls.
