How to check your polling station, verify voter details

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As Kenyans head to the polls on August 9, are the over 22 million registered voters aware of their polling stations, offences and the dos and don'ts of a general election?

There are 46,229 polling stations gazetted by the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC).

The polling stations open at 6am on Tuesday, August 9, and will close at 6pm.

It is expected that the 22,120,458 voters will cast their votes in various parts of the country including those in Kenyan embassies and missions in the diaspora.

How to check your polling station

It is important to note that one can only vote at the polling station where their registration details are captured.

There are various ways to confirm your polling station and voter details.

1. Manual

One of the actions taken by the electoral body to enable voters know their polling station is by printing out voters' names in various polling stations where the voters can go verify manually.

2. SMS

Apart from that, the IEBC has an SMS digital service where by just sending your ID number followed by # and your year of birth to the SMS code 70000, details of your polling station will be displayed on your phone instantly.

3. Digital

Also, to ensure Kenyans get to vote in a timely and seamless manner, various companies have developed quick and user-friendly portals where by keying in your ID number, you can establish where they will be casting their ballot to choose leaders across the 6 elective seats.

The IEBC also has an online portal (https://verify.iebc.or.ke) where you can key in your ID Number and birth year to verify your voter details and polling station.

StopReflectVerify.com is also another effective website where apart from one verifying their polling stations, they can also participate in an evidence-based online quiz that addresses key vulnerable areas of media literacy using social media insights and at the same time prompt behaviour change among internet users.

Ushahidi platform, (https://uchaguzi.or.ke) a global not-for-profit technology company convened by Ushahidi and the Election Observer Group, (ELOG) also provides voters with a portal where they can verify their details including reporting any incidences significant to the election.

Another useful application in matters election is the https://mycandidate-kenya.opencitieslab.org/ which relies on an exhaustive list provided by the IEBC enabling voters to find out who is running for office in their constituency by keying in their location of interest.

The Standard Group has its own tracking portal (https://www.standardmedia.co.ke/2022elections/) that displays detailed results of the 2013, and 2017 general elections; how the 8 presidential candidates performed Nationally and at the county levels and have the 2022 slot ready for data to be fed once the election results start streaming in.