This article was originally published on July 24, 2018 on Dawn.com

July 25 — the day of the 2018 general elections — is upon you and, being 18 or older, you are going to be making history at the ballot box.

If this is your first election as an adult, you may not be familiar with the rules and procedures of election day. You are not alone. A total of 8,100,000 new voters have registered with the ECP ahead of the forthcoming elections.

We spoke to the Election Commission of Pakistan to put together this guide for first-time voters — and others who could use a brush-up. Follow the simple steps below to cast your vote on election day:

Find your polling station

First things first. Do you know where you will be casting your vote?

Text your CNIC number (without spaces or dashes) to 8300. The ECP will send you that information promptly.

Next, figure out the location of your polling station. Google Maps can come in handy.

Polling starts at 8am and will close at 6pm. Head to your designated polling station well before 6pm in order to avoid the lines and vote on time.

Anybody not inside the polling station by 6pm will not be allowed to cast their vote.

Do NOT forget to carry your original CNIC. No photocopies, and no other document will be allowed, the ECP has said.

Also remember to leave your cellphone in a safe place. You will not be allowed to carry it inside.

At the polling station

As you step inside, law enforcement personnel will frisk you. Be polite and patient. They are there for your safety.

Once inside, ask someone where the voter lists and list of polling booths have been put up. Find your name on the lists, see which booth you have been designated, and proceed towards it.

The first person you interact with at the booth will be the polling officer. They are responsible for ensuring that every eligible voter is carrying a valid CNIC.

They are also responsible for confirming the identity of the voter from the voter's photograph as it appears on the electoral roll provided at the polling station.

They will ask to see your CNIC and verify your name in the voter list. The officer will then call out your name loudly so that the polling agents of various political parties present in the polling booth there can verify your particulars and strike off your name from their own lists.

This is just a system of check and balance to avoid double-voting. The polling agents are the political parties' eyes and ears at the polling station. They are only there because they want to make sure that no rigging is taking place.

Do not feel pressured by their presence. Remember: your vote is solely your prerogative.

Stamping your vote

After getting the go-ahead from the polling agents, the polling officer will mark your thumb with a special, non-erasable ink and obtain your thumb impression on the electoral rolls as proof that you have exercised your right to vote.

You will then turn to the person sitting next to the polling officer. He or she is the assistant presiding officer. This official will provide you two ballot papers, one each for the national and provincial assemblies, after you have printed your thumb impression on the counterfoils (the part of the ballot paper they keep for their own record).

Remember: the green ballot paper is for the National Assembly, and the white one is for your provincial assembly.

Make sure the assistant presiding officer has signed on the back of each ballot paper as well as on the counterfoil.

If this isn't done, a polling agent can call your votes into question and have them cancelled during the counting process. Therefore, make sure your ballots are valid before you stamp them.

Once you are satisfied, proceed to the polling booth, which is a space usually hidden behind a screen.

Take precautions

Be mindful that your vote will be deemed invalid and your visit to the polling station would be a waste, if your ballot paper is:

• missing the official code mark or assistant presiding officer's signature

• missing the ECP's watermark

• missing the official nine-matrix seal

• has a paper or anything else attached to it

• has stamps on more than one candidate's election symbols

• appears equally in more than one candidates' boxes

You will not be issued a replacement ballot paper, so before you go into the booth, make up your mind about who you are voting for. There's no going back once the paper has been stamped.

Make sure that there are no cameras around and no person can see who you're voting for. If someone tries to tell you who to vote for, report that individual to the polling officer immediately.

Remember: your vote is your vote; not your friends', not your parents'. Cast it wisely.

Once you've stamped your ballot papers, make sure the ink is dry before folding the ballot paper correctly. You will be told how to fold the ballot paper.

Walk over to the ballot boxes, which are usually placed in the middle of the room, and slide the green ballot paper into the box with the green top, and the white ballot paper into the box with the white top.

Congratulations, you are now done.

Leave the polling station peacefully and enjoy your day.

Don't forget to take a picture of your thumb marked with the special ink. Post this picture to your social media accounts, highlight the importance of voting, and encourage others to do so too.

• Illustrations by Mushba Said