For a whole generation of Haitians, December 13, 2026 will be the first time they ever stand in front of a ballot box. This guide walks through the day the way you will live it — from your front door to the moment your thumb is marked with ink — so that nothing in that room surprises you.
In short
You vote at the voting center assigned to you, with your valid CIN. The electoral decree provides for voting from 6 a.m. to 4 p.m., with voters who are already in line at 4 p.m. allowed to vote after being identified. Inside, a three-member voting bureau runs the vote: a president, vice-president and secretary (art. 45). You receive one ballot for each elected position, mark your choice in the voting booth, deposit each ballot in the corresponding ballot box, and complete the final identification formalities with indelible ink and a signature or fingerprint.
Before you go
- Know your voting center. The CEP publishes and displays the list of voting centers before election day. Check where you are assigned before you leave home.
- Bring your CIN. The bureau verifies that you are registered and that you have your national identification card.
- Go early. Voting begins at 6 a.m. An early problem — a name that is difficult to find, a question about your bureau, or confusion about the center — is much easier to resolve when you are not racing against the clock.
Inside the voting center, step by step
- Find your bureau de vote. A voting center can contain several voting bureaus. Signs, staff and designated guides can help you find the one assigned to you.
- Present your CIN. Before allowing you to vote, the bureau verifies that you have not already voted, that you have your national identification card, and that your name appears on the bureau's attendance list (art. 235).
- Receive your ballots. You receive one ballot for the popular ratification, if applicable, and one ballot for each elected position being contested that day (art. 236).
- Enter the voting booth. Behind the isoloir, you mark your ballots privately. The secrecy of the vote protects your choice from outside pressure.
- Mark your choice clearly. The decree allows a cross or another unequivocal mark in the space reserved for the candidate, cartel, or other applicable choice (art. 237). Follow the instructions printed on the ballot.
- Deposit each ballot in the correct ballot box. The decree requires each ballot received to be deposited in its corresponding box (art. 238.1).
- Complete the final identification step. After your ballots are deposited, the secretary presents the indelible ink. You place your right thumb in the ink — or another finger if necessary — and then sign or provide a fingerprint. Your CIN is returned to you afterward (art. 238).
What makes a ballot count — or not
The essential rule is simple: your intention must be clear. A ballot is valid when it contains a cross or another unequivocal mark indicating your choice in the space provided for the candidate, cartel or applicable option (art. 242). A ballot is declared null when it is damaged, contains multiple choices, or contains marks that make the voter's intention unclear (art. 243).
The safest rule is therefore: make one clear choice and don't add anything unnecessary to the ballot. Follow the spaces and instructions provided on the official ballot.
Who is in the room
The voting bureau is composed of a president, vice-president and secretary. Together, they manage the voting operations and later conduct the count. The bureau must include at least one woman.
Other authorized people may also be present, including accredited party representatives (mandataires) and accredited national and international observers. Their presence provides oversight of the process. The CEP also appoints electoral security agents at voting centers to help maintain order, protect electoral materials and prevent pressure on voters.
What matters for you is simple: your vote is secret, and no one should determine your choice for you.
When voting closes
Voting normally runs continuously from 6 a.m. to 4 p.m.. But 4 p.m. does not automatically mean that everyone still outside loses the right to vote. If, at 4 p.m., registered voters who have already been identified are still waiting in line at the entrance of the voting center, they are admitted to vote. The situation is recorded in the closing report.
What it changes in your daily life
Every guide in this series ends the same way for a reason: the offices are permanent, but the choosing takes one day. Ten minutes of your December 13 — a card, a line, a booth, one clear choice per ballot, a thumb dipped in ink — is the entire mechanism by which everything else in this series gets decided. Walk in knowing the room, and the room belongs to you.