‘My first vote in FNC election an empowering experience’

Taking part in political process for the Federal National Council 'proved almost overwhelming, but thankfully the volunteers were there to help'.

ABU DHABI // My first vote in a Federal National Council election was an empowering but nerve-racking experience.

It started when I entered a large tent where a young woman showed me how to access the voting screen.

From there I was taken into a vast auditorium decked with the UAE flags, under which were the polling booths.

The process was easy. On the bottom right of the screen I had to place my Emirates ID card, which loaded the choice of candidates with their full names, pictures and numbers. At first I was unsure of my vote, even though I had done my research and had sought out advice from others.

As soon as I saw the screen, I forgot the name of the candidate for whom I had decided to vote because of how nervous I was. This was a new experience of empowerment for me.

A volunteer stood by me and helped me to find my chosen candidate, and then reminded me to take my ID card once I was done.

I selected the candidate who I believed held views that, if discussed in the council, would be beneficial for the country as a whole.

Voters can scroll through the pages to find the candidates, or simply place the number of the candidate chosen on the right.

Every voter is given 30 minutes to cast their vote and enough privacy to know their choice will be discreet.

What struck me most was that most of the candidates had taken the time out of their days to make an appearance at the voting centre. They were engaging with the voters and seemed to be very optimistic.

This is the first time early voting and electronic polling have been introduced. The official voting day is October 3.