No more neglect in voter list update

A fundamental requirement for holding a fair election is the preparation of an accurate voter list. However, past experiences show that there has consistently been negligence in updating the voter list in Bangladesh. There are often issues with names, addresses, titles, and various other details. Even when attempts are made to correct these errors later, there are many complications. Moreover, despite turning 18, many individuals' names are still not included in the voter list.

In this context, the new Election Commission (EC) has announced that it will collect information door-to-door for updating the voter list after March 2 of the coming year. Typically, as per the law, the draft voter list is published by January 2 every year, and the final list is made public by March 2. However, this year, there has been no door-to-door information collection for updating the voter list.

The Election Commission (EC) is in the process of collecting information for 1.7 million citizens to include them as new voters. These citizens will be added to the list that will be published in 2025. Of these 1.7 million, 1.3 million were registered by the EC in 2022, while the rest have registered themselves by visiting the EC office. However, it is estimated that, according to statistics, around 4.5 million citizens are expected to join as new voters this year. Based on this, it appears that 2.7 to 2.8 million eligible citizens have not yet been registered as voters this year.

Undoubtedly, this is a vast and time-consuming task. Despite this, political parties are putting various pressures on the interim government for the swift conduct of the election. Political analysts say that, despite the multifaceted pressure from political parties, the interim government has not yet announced a specific roadmap for the upcoming national election.

However, some government advisers have informally stated that elections could be held by December of next year, while others have suggested June-July of 2026 as a possible timeline. According to the demands of the political parties, the government has already formed a new Election Commission. Some have referred to this as the government’s electoral journey. The decision to address the voter list issue in the first meeting of this commission is also being seen as another step toward the election.

So far, everything has remained on paper and in discussions; no actual work has been started on the ground. A crucial question is when the 2.7-2.8 million eligible citizens will be registered as voters. To register in the voter list, a birth certificate is required. However, in many areas, there are no chairmen or commissioners. In such cases, how these birth certificates will be obtained remains a significant question. Particularly for indigenous and marginalized communities, there are numerous issues regarding names, titles, and other details. These problems must also be addressed in a timely manner.

According to the latest data from the Election Commission, the total number of voters in the country is 12 crore 18 lakh 50 thousand and 160. Of these, 6 crore 21 lakh 44 thousand and 587 are male voters, 5 crore 97 lakh 04 thousand and 641 are female voters, while 932 are third-gender voters. In the 12th parliamentary election, the number of voters was 11 crore 96 lakh 89 thousand and 289.

Despite this, the Election Commission deserves compliments for announcing the update of the voter list. If the government is genuinely willing, there is a possibility of holding the national election in 2025. The big question now is when the election will take place. Everything depends on this.