Victor EzejaAs the 2023 General Elections draw closer, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and other partners have been coming up with innovative solutions to ensure that citizens fully participate in the electoral process.
One of such latest innovations is tagged “Operation Know you Polling Unit.” It was designed with a text messaging service that allows users to text the nine-digit code of their Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) to 8014 and the polling unit (Booth) address will be sent to the person instantly.
Join our WhatsApp ChannelThe service is available for users of all GSM networks in Nigeria such as MTN, Glo, Airtel and 9mobile.
This affords every registered voter the opportunity to know and validate their Polling Unit (PU) address ahead of the election.
WATCH THE VIDEO ILLUSTRATION BELOW TO SEE THINGS FOR YOURSELF:
There were cases in the past when voters went to wrong polling unit (PU) on election day and ended up either wasting their time locating the right place or in some cases, not able to vote at all. This SMS service helps to avoid such an experience on election day.
Network charge, however, may apply but the service is worth the charge.
READ ALSO: How To Check And Confirm Your PVC Online
This digital service is similar to a recently launched WhatsApp bot, designed for active engagement of citizens on civic matters.
The WhatsApp bot, by Enough is Enough (EiE) Nigeria- a coalition of youth advocacy groups- is a social network platform designed to engage citizens in an automated fashion, providing them with information on registration, PVC collection, debates and town hall meetings.
The system also provides citizens with contact information on elected officials and other channels to take action on political/electoral issues.
With 51 days to the election, the electoral body has been making adequate preparations to ensure a smooth, free, fair and credible election in the country.
On Tuesday, the Commission announced the arrival of the last batch of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BIVAS) at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja. The BIVAS technology will be deployed for voter accreditation, and real-time transmission of election results from polling units to INEC IReV portal for public access on election day.
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Victor Ezeja is a passionate journalist with six years of experience writing on economy, politics and energy. He holds a Masters degree in Mass Communication.
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