EC to publish final voter list on Mar 2

 
The newly-installed Election Commission, or EC, has decided to carry out door-to-door data collection to register missing voters and those eligible for voting as part of the final update to the electoral roll.

After the first commission meeting, chaired by Chief Election Commissioner AMM Nasir Uddin on Monday, Election Commissioner Abul Fazal Md Sanaullah told journalists that the commission plans to publish the final voter list on Mar 2 next year.

The commissioner explained that the draft voter list would be published on Jan 2, 2025, after collecting the data from people who will become eligible to vote by Jan 1. "The commission will publish the final list after reviewing claims, addressing objections, and resolving any issues," he added.

The primary aim of this update is to include millions of voters who were left out in previous updates, ensuring that no eligible voter is excluded.

Sanaullah emphasised that this will be an inclusive process, with door-to-door registration ensuring all those who missed earlier registration will be accounted for. The commission's first meeting began at 11am at the Election Commission Secretariat in Dhaka's Agargaon. The meeting was attended by the CEC and the four other commissioners: Md Anwarul Islam Sorker, Abdur Rahmanel Masud, Tahmida Ahmed, and Sanaullah. Sanaullah said data will also be collected for those who will turn 18 and become eligible to vote on Jan 1, 2026.

He added, "During the voter list update, we will exclude deceased voters, make corrections, and resolve any duplications." The final voter list published on Mar 2 this year shows over 121 million voters.

In January next year, nearly 1.7 million new voters will be added. Sanaullah said the data collection process is expected to take around six months. "This is an ongoing process, unrelated to the voter list update, and ensures that no one is left out," he added.

The commissioner highlighted that the Election Commission Secretariat will handle the details regarding when, how, and where the data collection will begin.

Sanaullah said, "Once we have the updated voter list, we'll go door-to-door to register those who haven't signed up at the office. We expect to add around 2.5 to 2.7 million voters, or slightly fewer, through this process."

He continued, "While we're at it, we'll also gather information for 2025, including data for those eligible to vote on January 1, 2026. We are deploying logistics for this task."

He added that this process will continue from Mar 2 until the announcement of the general election schedule.

A similar door-to-door data collection was carried out in 2022 to register eligible voters and update the list.