KATHMANDU, FEBRUARY 5 With less than a month remaining until the House of Representatives elections scheduled for March 5, the Election Commission (EC) has rolled out a nationwide door-to-door voter education programme aimed at informing citizens about the voting process and reducing invalid votes. The EC has already approved the special voter education programme, under which one trained volunteer will be deployed in each ward across the country. The initiative seeks to familiarise voters with the election system, voting methods and procedures, as well as the role of political parties and candidates. Voter education refers to the dissemination of information and awareness programmes designed to help voters understand how to cast their ballots correctly and make informed choices. The EC says the programme is particularly important given Nepal's mixed electoral system and the large number of political parties and candidates contesting the elections. According to Kul Bahadur GC, assistant spokesperson of the EC, volunteers will visit households for a month to provide practical guidance on voting. 'The voter education programme will run for a month. Volunteers will go from village to village and door to door to train voters,' he said. 'They will use sample ballot papers to explain how to vote, how to make votes valid and what actions can invalidate a vote.' Nepal's House of Representatives has 275 members, of whom 165 are elected through the direct election (first-past-the-post) system and 110 through the proportional representation (PR) system. In the upcoming election, 63 political parties are contesting under the proportional representation category. However, after adjustments for single and joint elections, only 57 election symbols will appear on the PR ballot paper. Under the proportional representation system, voters cast their ballots for political parties rather than individual candidates, and the entire country is treated as a single constituency. Seats are allocated to parties based on the total number of votes they receive nationwide. For this purpose, political parties submitted lists of their PR candidates to the Election Commission on December 13 and 14. The Commission has completed the review process and published the final list of PR candidates. A total of 3,135 candidates from 63 parties are competing for the 110 proportional representation seats. In contrast, under the direct election system, voters choose individual candidates in their respective constituencies. The candidate who secures the highest number of votes wins the seat. This time, 3,406 candidates-including nominees from political parties and independent candidates-are contesting for the 165 directly elected seats. Nepal has been using the mixed electoral system since the first Constituent Assembly election. To implement the voter education programme effectively, the Election Commission has delegated authority to District Election Offices to select and appoint volunteers. According to the approved guidelines, one volunteer will be chosen in each ward from among school child development facilitators, maternal and child health workers, local health volunteers or operators of community learning centres. The EC stated that volunteers should have at least an SLC or equivalent educational qualification, with preference given to those who have prior experience in community work. 'Experience is important, but at the same time, the volunteer should be proactive and ready to engage in voter education,' said assistant spokesperson GC. Before beginning fieldwork, selected volunteers will undergo orientation programmes organised by the Election Commission in all seven provinces. The orientation is scheduled to begin from February 13. After completing the training, volunteers will be deployed to neighbourhoods and households to interact directly with voters. In parallel with the door-to-door campaign, the Election Commission has also established a call centre to address queries and concerns from voters, citizens and other stakeholders. According to Information Officer Suman Ghimire, voters can contact the toll-free number 1102 for clarification on election-related issues. The call centre, which was set up on January 19, has already received more than 1,800 queries as of Tuesday. Most of the questions relate to voter education and voter registration. Common concerns include discrepancies in names between citizenship certificates and national identity cards, whether a voter ID card is mandatory for voting, and what documents can be used if a voter ID card is missing or damaged. The Election Commission has clarified that voters must be registered on the voter list to be eligible to vote. Generally, voters are required to carry their voter ID cards to polling stations. However, in the absence of a voter ID card, voters may use original documents such as a Nepali citizenship certificate, national identity card, passport, driving licence or land ownership certificate. Election officials say the volume and nature of queries received at the call centre underscore the importance of voter education. 'We receive around 50 to 55 questions every day. These questions themselves indicate the need for voter education,' GC said. According to the EC, voter education programmes not only help citizens understand whether they are registered to vote, but also clarify the procedures they must follow on polling day. Such programmes are also believed to play a crucial role in increasing voter participation and turnout, particularly among women, youth, indigenous communities, Dalits and other marginalised groups.