Voters’ Re-registration Every Five Years: What is the Point?

MV+ News Desk | July 10, 2023
Photo: Elections Commission

One of the biggest ordeals in every presidential election every five years is re-registering to vote at polling stations near where you live. There have been major clashes in the past due to the re-registration process. The Election Commission has decided to open re-registration for the upcoming presidential election this month.

As in previous times, the Election Commission has decided to start the re-registration process from scratch. This means that every citizen will be automatically registered to vote on a ballot on the island to which they were registered at birth.

Therefore, thousands of people who have migrated will have to re-register. 

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According to the Election Commission, the automatic reset is done every five years. Elections other than the presidential election, like parliamentary elections and local council elections, do not follow this practice. Citizens are able to vote in these elections at places they last registered.

Discussions at the National Election Advisory Committee

The Election Commission members held discussions on the matter at the National Advisory Committee held on Wednesday. It was opened for discussion by the opposition PPM. The party has asked for discussions on how to re-register if you voted in a place other than your polling station in the last local council elections.

Most members of the national advisory committee, which also includes political parties, election-related state institutions and private groups, said having a hometown-based voter registry would increase the work required. 

 What is the purpose of starting the voters list from scratch?

Transparency Maldives has questioned the purpose of starting the voters list from scratch. The Election Commission responded saying the rule has been followed every five years in the presidential election. 

EC further explained saying the main reason for the re-registration process is that many people who have finished their studies abroad are returning back to the country. Moreover, EC also raised the issue of COVID-19 pandemic which saw an influx of people migrating. 

However, thousands of people are already living in resorts or have migrated to Male’. It stands to reason that EC would have a lighter workload and it would be hassle-free for thousands of citizens who do not live where they were registered at birth. The Election Commission did agree on this at the time.

More on the re-registration process

Unlike other years, this year, EC has created an online re-registration portal. This is a portal that has already been used in by-elections.

The portal has come under scrutiny by some political parties. However, EC has reassured the integrity and reliability of this online portal. 

The form filler can upload personal information and instant photos to ensure validity. The IT department of the EC said that no previously taken photographs can be uploaded and they will ensure that the photographs and information match the information in the Department of National Registration.

One of the most notable issues in re-registration is the lack of adequate information. Not knowing who needs to re-register. This has the potential to be a huge problem, particularly in the dialogue of voter suppression.

If the re-registration process needs to start from scratch as decided by the EC,  there is a lot of work to be done. As in previous elections, the late re-registration rush and unrest could lead to questions about the validity of the election.

Therefore, as discussed by the parties and many members of the National Advisory Committee, it is important to conduct the voter registration process so that the person can vote where he voted in the last general election.

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