 has unveiled the voter registration form and registration book to be used in the upcoming electoral process but has not yet announced when voter registration will officially begin.){kind=link}
By: Ginaba Lino
South Sudan’s National Elections Commission (NEC) has unveiled the voter registration form and registration book to be used in the upcoming electoral process but has not yet announced when voter registration will officially begin.
The voter registration form was unveiled on Tuesday, September 22, by National Elections Commission (NEC) Chairperson Gabriel Bol Deng Majok, who described voter registration as a fundamental step through which citizens exercise their political rights.
The launch came a day after lawmakers passed the Election Act No. 12 Amendment Bill, 2026, on Monday, September 21. The bill was subsequently assented to by President Salva Kiir Mayardit on the same day, paving the way for the commencement of preparations for the voter registration process.
Speaking to journalists in Juba, Bol said the NEC Board had approved the registration form and assured citizens that the Commission would announce the registration date before the exercise begins.
“A registration form is how the citizens exercise their rights. So for this reason, I am happy to report to the people of South Sudan and you, our wonderful media, that the board has approved the registration form,” he said.
Bol displayed the registration book, explaining that it contains identification and geographical information required to register voters across South Sudan’s ten states and three administrative areas.
He said the book carries the NEC logo, state and county details, geographical numbers, registration centre information, book numbers and individual registration card serial numbers.
According to the NEC Chairperson, each voter will receive a registration card after completing the registration process, which they will be required to keep safely and present on polling day.
“This card symbolizes our supreme right. So, when you go to the registration centre, you will be registered, and then you will take this away. This is your supreme right. You will hold it close to your heart, put it in a safe place, so that when it comes to election day, you will come,” Bol said.
He explained that the registration card will be presented to election officials before a voter receives a ballot paper. Voters will then cast their ballots privately inside a voting booth.
Bol said the secrecy of the ballot is central to the voting process, with election officials responsible for counting and determining the will expressed by voters after polling stations close.
“You will come here, and you will exercise your right without anybody seeing. Secretly, and then you will go. Then, now, you have determined, you have exercised your right,” he said.
He added that the NEC’s responsibility will be to accurately count and determine the votes cast for the various positions, including the presidency, governors, members of parliament and other elected offices.
The Chairperson said the unveiling of the registration materials marked an important moment in South Sudan’s electoral preparations.
The NEC has previously said it will conduct voter registration manually, in person and on paper nationwide, before entering registration information into its computer systems.
The Commission has also said that registration had not yet started and that the official dates and registration centres would be announced through its public channels.
The unveiling comes as South Sudan prepares for the scheduled December 22, 2026, general elections.