EC updates voter list ahead of next general election

The Election Commission (EC) has enrolled more voters than the number estimated in the voter list update programme during a countrywide campaign, including door-to-door visits.

This would be the last registration process for prospective voters before the 12th parliamentary election.

Enumerators of the EC visited households to complete the update in four phases starting from May 20 to November 20 this year following the terms of Section 11 of the Electoral Rolls Act 2009 Voter List Update Programme.

The progress rate of the voter registration process is 8.59 percent, the commission said.

The EC officials said 9,870,970 people have completed the registration process in the update programme, 1,255,233 more than the estimated number.

Registration of 4,778,003 women, 5,092,716 men, and 251 third-gender people has been completed.

The names of 1,709,321 people were removed from the voters' list after verification of the necessary documents, the commission said.

The EC collected data about citizens born on or after January 1, 2005, January 1, 2006, and January 1, 2007. These people would gradually be included in the voter list when they turn 18.

The cost of the voter list update programme this year has been estimated at Tk106.64 crore, which is Tk26 crore more than the previous time.

The EC will publish the final and updated list of voters on National Voters' Day on March 2 next year.

The voter list was updated five times since the creation of the voter list with photos in 2007-2008.

The polling authority now has information about more than 11.32 crore voters. Among them, there are 57,689,529 male voters and 55,597,027 female and 454 third-gender voters.