New voters stuck due to birth registration complications

As part of preparations for the upcoming national election, the interim government has launched a voter list update program. Organizing a free and fair parliamentary election is a significant challenge for the government, and one of the major obstacles is the registration of new voters. Although the voter update process is in full swing in Savar, many potential new voters are facing difficulties due to issues with birth registration.

According to the Savar Upazila Election Office, Savar has the highest number of voters in the country. Based on the last national election’s voter list, there are 909,915 registered voters in this upazila, including 387,469 male voters, 368,937 female voters, and 13 third-gender voters.

Among them, nearly 150,000 voters are from the municipality, while field workers are conducting voter list updates across 12 unions.

High Enthusiasm but Registration Challenges

Field workers involved in the voter list update program reported a strong response from the public. However, they are also encountering several issues, including:

Lack of proper documents

Mismatch between names on parents’ voter ID cards

Confusion over permanent and temporary addresses


Despite these challenges, more people are showing interest in becoming new voters compared to previous years.

A visit to a temporary registration camp in Shimulia, Ashulia, revealed that many young people and students are enthusiastically participating in the voter registration process. Officials at the camp are assisting them with the necessary paperwork and guiding them on how to fill out the forms correctly. However, some individuals lacking proper birth registration or facing mismatches in parental information are unable to complete their applications and have to leave.

Raqib Hasan, a student, shared his thoughts:

> "We have seen how elections were conducted in previous years. This time, we hope for a fair and accurate election. I’ve also noticed many errors in my family members’ voter information. I urge election officials to be more careful during the update process to prevent future complications."

When asked how he felt about completing his voter registration form, he said:

> "We have been waiting for this opportunity for a long time. Now that it's here, we didn’t want to delay. Some of my documents were missing, so I had to collect them before submitting my form. It feels great to finally register. My friends are also here to complete their registration."

Similarly, Shraboni Sarkar, another student, said:

> "We came here excited to become new voters, but then we found out that we need a letter signed by the Union Parishad Chairman. When we went to the Union Parishad office, the chairman was not available, and it took me almost a week to get the required document. I saw many people waiting at the office for days just to obtain their birth registration certificates, which has delayed the process for us."

Challenges in the Process

Mofazzal, a primary school teacher and data collection officer for the voter list update, spoke to Views Bangladesh about the challenges:

> "Young people are very enthusiastic about registering as voters. We are visiting households to collect their information and verify documents. However, Union Parishad offices need to be more cooperative in providing birth registration certificates. Additionally, those who are not originally from this area need a certificate from the UP Chairman, which is taking time, leading to further delays."

Official Response

Efforts to contact Savar Upazila Election Officer Nazrul Islam were unsuccessful. Despite multiple attempts, he could not be reached by phone.

However, officials at the Upazila Election Office confirmed that, in addition to the ongoing voter update program, an average of 20 new voters are being registered daily. They expect the voter count to increase by around 3% through the house-to-house registration process.

Regarding the birth registration issue, election officials acknowledged the challenges but assured that the situation would gradually improve. They emphasized that only those with the required documents would be able to complete their voter registration.