Voters in Uganda are faced with limited information about how the voting process works or what to expect from candidates as the country prepares for elections in January, according to reports.

Experts say the decline in voter education is to blame, citing years of shrinking resources — worsened most recently by the cuts in U.S. foreign assistance. U.S. funding once supported a wide range of voter education activities, including designating polling stations, explaining voter rights and responsibilities, and offering guidance on what to look for from candidates.

Civil society organizations in the country typically carried out activities in rural or hard-to-reach areas to supplement the work of the Electoral Commission of Uganda. With "one-on-one meetings" and radio advertisements no longer reaching rural communities, however, the "most effective voter education tools" have been lost.