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Preparation of Electoral Rolls : An Overview

by Tarikul Ghani
***ln many democracies in Asia the electoral rolls have been computerized and entered in the database. There are definite advantages of doing this : For instance, updating becomes easier and less costly — all one had to do is to exclude the dead and include the new voters attaining the voting age. Then it does not require to prepare a new voters' list every five or ten years.***
ELECTION systems require criteria and mechanism for identifying eligible voters and preventing ineligible persons from voting. The mechanism is also used to guarantee the "one person one vote” principle by preventing people from voting more than once or from voting in wrong location.
An accurate voters' list or the electoral roll is the basic document on the basis of which vote is taken by the Presiding Officer at the polling booth. Therefore, fair election largely depends on the accuracy of the electoral rolls. In the absence of accurate electoral rolls, holding of fair elections is not possible.
It is indeed difficult to have hundred per cent accurate, voters' list but election administrators strive to make the electoral rolls cent percent accurate. There is no recognized or acceptable level of errors in case of a voters' list because a small error, say three per cent, may make a difference in the overall outcome of a constituency as well as a nationwide election. While underage voters may creep into the electoral roll it is unpardonable to disenfranchise any bonafide voter just by exclusion of his/her name from there.
The Bangladesh Election Commission has introduced a new system of individual regis-tration instead of the old system of family baaed registration. The merits of the new system notwithstanding, the registration form is unnecessarily made complicated asking for eleven different information of every voter. Out of eleven only five different information are eventually used by the Commission in preparing the voters' list and voter's identity cards. Some of the information (column 7,8) sought from the voter are embarrassing to them and Infor-
mation sought under column 11 giving the voter a choice to vote at different places in different elections (national and local body) is misleading. Current electoral rolls ordinance do not permit a voter to enroll in different electoral areas. In other words, only the information sought in question No. 1.2.3.5 and 6 should be kept deleting the others.
Some would argue about making multi-purpose voter's identity card and database which may serve the purpose of a national identity card also. Here, it is pertinent to point out that it is not the job of the EC to produce or develop database for any national identity card — it is probably the job of the Home Ministry. Having to handle the extra load of information would entail the risk (and reality) of increased errors in collecting. collating and entering the enormous amount of information in the database. Why should the EC take such responsibilities when it has not e! been able to streamline the sic voter information necessary for developing an accurate or near accurate or an acceptable electoral roll and producing and disseminating voter identity cards?
In the past, attempts at making voters list have almost always preceded an election and the EC and its large number of enumerators worked under pressure to complete the list within the short deadline. This has hampered the process of making an accurate voters' list. For the future, the EC should not relate the preparation of the electoral rolls with any election rather ft should have its own work plan and time schedule to complete the rolls.
In many democracies in Asia the electoral rolls have been computerized and entered in the database. There are definite
advantages of doing this : For instance, updating becomes easier and less costly — all one had to do is to exclude the dead and include the new voters attaining the voting age. Then it does not require to prepare a new voters list every five or ten years. Therefore, it is imperative to computerize the electoral rolls.
The last initiative at computerization of the electoral roll was. to say the least, an unrealistic and raw deal for the EC. While the EC owned several copies of the voters' list the database belonged to the vendors and not to the EC. Therefore, there was no opportunity for the EC to continuously update the current voters' list. The EC will have to purchase the database from the vendors again. In the circumstances it may need closer examination on the question whether the voters' list and the identity cards prepared so far and under process will serve as a good starting point or the entire exercise should begin afresh. While deciding on the issue it will be pertinent to consider the large number of errors and omissions in the voters' list and the voter's identity cards distributed so far.
To prepare the electoral rolls and produce the voter s identity cards, a cell was created in the Election Commission headed by an Additional Secretary of the Government. The other officers working in the cell have also been deputed by the Government at the request of the Commission. There is however, no officer of the Election Com-
mission in the cell having knowledge of the mechanism involved In the preparation of electoral rolls, method of contacting voters, difficulties inherent In the contact by the registration staff and the ways and means that may provide solution to any problem associated with taking of photographs of the voters and preparation or distribution of identity cards among the voters.
Generally, the EC ought to have its own permanent personnel who would specialize in election related Jobs and remain to serve the EC while top executives (Secretary, Additional Secretary, etc.) may be brought in from the civil bureaucracy. The EC should also hire consultants to work for the voters' list project from amongst former/retlred officers of the EC who have handled these issues and problems before — experience has no substitute.
An important issue is to extend the franchise to the expatriate Bangladeshis. Many of them are registered in current voters list but the facility of postal bedlot is not extended to them which has deprived them of their right to vote. Expatriate Bangladeshis for all their contributions and inherent, inalienable right ought to be registered as voters and allowed to cast their votes. Relevant laws need to be amended for the purpose. Recently, the Filipinos are in the process of extending, their overseas citizens the right to vote in national elections.
The process of public con-
sultation is one exercise that can be undertaken by the EC about the ways and means of preparing an accurate and acceptable voters' list. Public consultation through seminars, workshops and soliciting public opinion will make electors fell Involved In the process. Political parties, civic organizations. NGOs and professional groups can be involved In such public consultations. This exercise will also lessen the responsibility of failures and inadequacies from the shoulders of the authorities while reducing such possibilities because of broad Involvement of the public.
In addition to public consultations. the registration period offers an excellent opportunity to involve the people In the electoral process as volunteers with specific responsibilities. These responsibilities may include initiating voter education campaign encouraging the population to register as voters, monitoring the conduct of the government officials and political parties, and Implementing a system to process complaints regarding preparation of the
voters' list.
The probable problems may include :
a) procedures that cause reasonable difficulty for certain sectors to register or obtain identification card necessary for voting, including : limiting hours or days for registration; placing registration sites at inconvenient locations; or subjecting registrants to unfairly burdensome procedures such as presenting multiple Identifica-tions/documents, photographs, making multiple visits to registration sites etc.:
b) inappropriate conduct of registration officials, committed either intentionally or accidentally, including : Intimidating registrants: rejecting or deleting eligible voters: accepting ineligible registrants; fraudulently altering or improperly maintaining the list; failing to distribute voter identity cards; etc.;
c) inaccurate lists, such as lists that include the names of individuals who have died or have left the constituency, fictitious individuals, or registrants
who are listed more tnan once or are otherwise Ineligible: that fall to include the names of eligible individuals who have properly applied to register; or that record registrants' names in ways that making it impractical to locate them on the lists; and
d) failure to assure transparency In the registration process. as evidenced by restrictive regulations or recalcitrant officials who prevent monitors from analyzing the process in a timely manner.
There are good reasons to open the voter registration process for public scrutiny by civic groups and Election Monitoring Organizations (EMOs). In addition to causing problems on the election day, inaccurate voters' list may also adversely affect other aspects of the election process. For example, constituency boundaries and seats assigned to each dis-trict/dlvision are determined by census/voter registration information. The location of polling stations are also determined by information collected during voter registration process. These factors may influence the outcome of an election.
Following are some suggested techniques the EC may allow EMOs to apply to evaluate the registration process :
1. Encourage and allow volunteers to monitor the reffistra-
tion process throughout the country, particularly in areas where there are high probability of problems such as Honma thana and Keraniganj;
2. Verify the accuracy of the information on the voters' lists (e.g. by selecting statistically significant samples of the names and then determining, through Interviews or other re-search. if the information is correct);
3. Compare voters' list from previous elections with the current list to identify statistical anomalies (e.g. extreme changes in the number of registrants in a region):
4. Review the list, visually or by computer, to determine duplicate registrations and the registration of ineligible voters: and
5. Provide civic education and training to conduct the aforementioned techniques.
The first, second and fifth techniques require considerable time and personnel, but they also afford the best opportunity to detect flaws in the registration process. The third and fourth techniques can be accomplished at the central or district headquarters, without deploying any personnel to the field.'
The writer is Member-Secretary. FEMA