Voter list update programme earns unsatisfactory response

Although the door-to-door voter list update programme has started, the general public is not fully aware of this process for various reasons. Visiting various areas of the capital, it was found that the voter list update programme has not achieved desired response among most people.

Sources said that even after more than a week, the data collectors have not yet started collecting voter information in many areas. Again, due to the requirement of the Union Parishad Chairman or Councilor's certificate, online birth certificate, and the slowness of the data collectors in some cases, the voter list update process is not able to meet the desired goal.

Although there is talk of collecting voter information from house to house, the data collectors are setting up centers in different areas of the capital and collecting information from there. Miking is also being done in many areas to request people to come to the centers.

A similar picture has been seen outside the capital. Teachers collecting data are going door to door and requesting voters to come to specific centers to submit their information.

When asked about this, some field-level officials said that in the current situation, for overall security and work convenience, they have asked those who wish to become voters to come to the centers to submit their information.

Senior Assistant Secretary of the Election Commission for Dhaka Region Md. Nasir Uddin Chowdhury told Views Bangladesh that data collectors have been asked to go door to door to collect information. However, if not, the district or police station officer can explain why they are going with the alternative method. However, it is not desirable in any way.

Director (Public Relations) and Information Officer Md. Shariful Alam said that since security is an issue in urban areas, the officials concerned may take this method. If it works, nothing to say in this regard.

Regarding the simplification of the procedure, he said that these are predetermined. Bringing procedural changes will be difficult in such a short time.

Election Commission said that messages are being sent to mobile phones across the country in this regard. However, talking to several old voters, it has been learned that they did not receive any message. They needed to make some corrections to their information, but as they were not aware of the programme, they couldn’t make it.

Mirpur resident Shahin Azam said: "I could not find out how this information was being updated. Later, when I went to the councilor’s office, I could find out how to provide the information."

Commenting on the need for more systematic campaigning by the voter list support management, CSE student Shahin said: "I do not understand the reason for such a complicated process where there is a birth registration and SSC certificate. It could have been done easily by using the permanent address in the birth registration. However, what I understood is that you have to make everything correct on your own. Otherwise, you will have to pay for it yourself."

Omar Faruk, a teacher at Bengal Medium School, who collects information for updating the voter list on the east side of Nurjahan Main Road, said: "While collecting information, we have been asked to match the voter's name, parent's name, birth certificate or education certificate exactly. In addition, we have been asked to match the date of birth according to the birth certificate or education certificate. When writing the permanent address, we have also been asked to write the voter's actual permanent address so that there is no double voter in any case."

When asked about the most challenging things while collecting data, he said: "Many people do not bring the correct documents. The crisis arises when we find any mistake in the online birth certificate. Correcting it in a short time is a big challenge. Again, collecting the councilor's certificate, especially when they are absconding, is creating more problems."

One such person is Rashedul Hasan of Lalmatia. He said that he applied last Saturday and received his birth certificate and registration on Thursday.

"My friend's father's name is wrong on his birth certificate. Now it is getting late to correct it. Those who are getting it today will not even get the opportunity to correct it," said a student of a private university.

Secretary Md. Zahid Ferdous of Ward No. 32 admitted that making any correction to documents is taking a little longer than usual. However, arrangements are being made so that no one is left out of the list due to this slow process. The councilor's office will also be open on weekends.

The data collection process will continue in full swing for these two last days, said Assistant Principal of Lalmatia School and College Md. Shamsul Alam, supervisor of the data collection center.

Meanwhile, the Election Commission says that data collectors have been trained to create an accurate voter list and avoid suffering for citizens, and in this process, it has been said that they will go door to door to collect data to include new voters, collect information about citizens who have been excluded from the list, and remove the names of the deceased. This time, everyone born on or before January 1, 2008, will be included.

They say that to become a voter, a copy of a 17-digit online birth certificate, a copy of a nationality or citizenship certificate, a photocopy of a close relative's (parents, siblings, etc.) NID, a copy of an SSC/Dakhil/equivalent or eighth-grade pass certificate (where applicable), a copy of a utility bill (photocopy of electricity/gas/water/chowkidari tax receipt) are required.

According to the election office, the voter list update process is underway nationwide starting from January 20 of this year and will continue until February 3.

In this program, primary school teachers who collect information are going door to door to collect information about new voters and the removal of names of deceased voters.

Supervisors are monitoring the programme and primary school headmasters perform the duties. Police station officers in the city and upazila election officers in the upazilas are supervising the data collection programme in their respective upazilas.

In the meantime, to eliminate all kinds of problems and confusion and to further simplify this process, the EC requested new voters to apply online and submit downloaded copies of the application to the data collectors.

The Election Commission says that the registration process will continue from February 5 to April 11 after the data collection.

During this time, photographs, fingerprints and images will be taken.

The Election Commission said that being a multiple voter is a punishable offense. If someone is a multiple voter, it can be easily identified through fingerprint testing, and if someone tries to become a voter again by hiding previous information, action will be taken against them if caught.

Outside the capital
Mixed reactions are coming from all over the country regarding the update of the voter list. According to the information provided by Views Bangladesh correspondents working in different districts of the country, different reactions are being received in each district regarding this update programme.

For example, at least 50 residents of Bogra Sadar, Sherpur, Shajahanpur, Gabtoli and Shibganj upazilas were spoken to regarding the voter update programme.

Most of them said that they did not know whether the voter list update had started. Many came to know about it after the information collector came from the election office. Although this information was given in a text message on the mobile phone, none of them saw it. In the meantime, they are also not aware of the fact that the copy was submitted by applying online.

Senior District Election Officer of Bogura Md. Fazlul Karim said that information is being collected by going door to door as per the rules. However, many information collectors sit in the courtyard of a house. Voters from the surrounding areas come there and provide information. Upazila-based information is being collected. All areas will be visited.

Meanwhile, residents of several upazilas in Dinajpur, Rajshahi, Khulna, Barisal, and Sylhet have expressed doubts about whether the voter list can be updated in this short time.

In Savar, new voter registration is being held up due to complications in birth registration. However, the opposite picture is seen in Savar from most upazilas of the country. Field workers who participated in the voter update claim that this time the voter update is receiving a good response. However, some complications are being faced. In addition to the incorrectness of the required documents, the mismatch of the names with the voter cards of the parents, there is a delay in obtaining permanent and temporary addresses. Many new voters are showing interest in becoming voters compared to before.

Voter list update activities have started in 26 upazilas of Chittagong. However, there has been little response in the activities to collect information on new voters and the collection of information on the deduction of dead voters in the three hill districts of Bandarban, Rangamati, and Khagrachari. Many people in the remote villages of 122 unions in the Chittagong Hill Tracts are not even aware that the work of collecting voter list information has begun.

Instead of going door to door, the data collectors are sitting at a place in the village and collecting information from the people around them, which is leaving many people behind, the locals complain.

In this regard, Rangamati District Election Officer Sakhawat Hossain and Bandarban District Election Officer Shahadat Hossain said that the data collection work is going on satisfactorily. The number increases towards the end. However, they have not yet received any complaints of negligence in collecting data.

The Chittagong Hill Tracts is a special area, so there is also an upazila-based special verification committee here. The Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) is the convener of the committee and the election officer is the member secretary. After collecting the information, voters will be nominated for registration and photographing after the committee's verification. They said that the registration and photographing activities will start on February 16.

Meanwhile, the Rohingya population is a big challenge in the update activities in Cox's Bazar district. Locals say that if proper monitoring is not carried out, Rohingyas could be included as voters.