The Election Commission (EC) has announced a nationwide voter education drive that will place trained volunteers in every ward of the country before the March 5 House of Representatives polls.
According to The Rising Nepal, the EC plans to deploy volunteers through District Election Offices in all 6,743 wards of Nepal's 753 local levels. Assistant Spokesperson Kul Bahadur GC said the commission will draw on existing local human resources, such as early childhood development facilitators, female community health volunteers and community service centre operators, to conduct door-to-door and small-group education activities.
The EC approved the voter education programme on February 2. Orientation sessions are scheduled for mid-February in all seven provinces, after which volunteers will be active in their wards. The focus is expected to be on explaining ballot design, voting procedures under both the first-past-the-post and proportional systems, and practical details such as polling hours and identification requirements.
For voters, especially first-time voters and those in remote or marginalised communities, this initiative could make the difference between casting a confident, valid vote and unintentionally spoiling a ballot. However, past experience shows that the quality of voter education depends heavily on training, local language support and whether materials truly reach communities that are often left out, such as persons with disabilities, migrant families and minorities.