Afghanistan is voting October 9th.

The country was supposed to go to the polls in June, but the process was postponed because of security and logistical concerns.
18 candidates are on the ballot for president.

How do a largely illiterate people cast a ballot?
It took 9 months to register voters in most of the country, in refugee camps and in Pakistan. People were afraid of having their thumbprints on voter registration cards. There are 25 thousand polling stations and the 26 thousand troops in the country will help get the ballot boxes to counting centres.
Because of security and terrian it could take days to get them there, and up to two weeks to count the ballots.

Election education uses cartoons and info graphics.
The ballots, which have been printed in Canada, use candidate photos and symbols as well as words for those who can read.

Voters will mark their choice on the ballot paper with a pen - millions of pens have been ordered.

There will be separate polling stations for men and women.

Voters will have a thumb marked with indelible ink.

A big challenge is to find enough men and women to staff voting centres in a country where literacy is low.

State-run radio is spreading the word about the election, and some 1,200 “civic educators” will be going around the country to hire local polling officials.

It will be a flawed and frightening first election for 10.5 million people, but an election none the less.