Are you a registered voter? If not, here's what you need to know before the deadline ends
The Election Commission of Pakistan's deadline — extended to April 30 — for voter registration and modification of voter lists for the 2018 general elections is fast approaching.
So far, there are 104,267,581 registered voters across the country. If you're not one of them — or want to check your status — here's what you need to do:
'Is my vote registered with the ECP?'
Although names of all those who received their Computerised National Identity Cards (CNICs) from 2013 to 2018 have already been added to the voter lists, you should verify the registration of your vote. A total of 8,100,000 new voters have been registered with the ECP.
The registration of vote can be verified in two ways: either through a short message service (SMS) or visiting your relevant District Election Commissioner’s office where final lists are available.
SMS service
The ECP has updated its 8300 SMS and asked voters to check the details of their votes' registration by sending an SMS with their CNIC number to 8300. An automated response will be received in this regard with the name of your electoral area, block code and serial number.
District Election Commissioner
You can confirm vote registration by visiting your respective District Election Commissioner’s office, where the final electoral roll is available. The addresses or contact information of the DEC’s offices across the four provinces can be found on the Election Commissions website.
Here are some useful links:
Not yet enrolled?
If you are already a registered voter, then you just need to show up at a polling station in your constituency with your original CNIC on the day of the election.
However, if you are in the age group of 18 years and above and still your vote is not registered, then you will have to take some necessary steps to become a registered voter.
Visit a display centre
The ECP has set up 14,487 display centres across the country.
These centres have been established for registration and correction of details or removal of names from the voter lists. A total of 7,928 centres have been set up in Punjab; 2,585 in Sindh; 2,545 in KP; and 1,429 in Balochistan.
You can submit your application along with a CNIC copy to the nearest display centre or the district election commissioner, registration officer, or the assistant registration officer of the district where you want to get your name enrolled.
You will have to fill the prescribed Form 15 — available online at the ECP website — for enrolment of your vote.
It can also be obtained free of cost from the office of the district election commissioner, the registration officer or assistant registration officer. Don't forget to keep your original CNIC with you when you return to the display centre for submission of the filled form.
'I'm registered but my info is wrong'
You have received confirmation of the registration of your vote but some parts of the information available with the ECP do not match with what is mentioned on your national identity card. Here comes Form 17 to help you out.
You will have to download or obtain the form from any display centre and then submit the filled form to ECP display centre, or regional or district office.
Don't forget to keep your original CNIC with you when you return to the display centre for submission of the filled form. Some parts of the form will be filled in the office of the ECP.
At the time of the form's submission, an ECP official will schedule a date for the hearing of your case. After the hearing, an ECP official will decide the matter.
'My vote is registered but shown in the wrong area'
You can get your vote transferred to the area where you reside, subject to the address mentioned in your CNIC. For this purpose, you will have to fill Form 15.
This form can be submitted to the ECP officials at display centres. You can download this form or obtain it from your nearest display centre.
Again, you will have to keep your original CNIC as well as other relevant documents [example: utility bills] as proof of your residence. After submitting your form, an ECP official will schedule a date for the hearing of your case. After the hearing, the concerned ECP official will decide the matter.
'My vote is fine but someone I know should not have registered'
You can approach the ECP if you have an objection to the inclusion of the name of any voter. You will have to fill the Form 16 in this regard. After submission of the form, the ECP will fix a date for the hearing of the case.
You and the person objected against, along with relevant pieces of evidence or documents, will have to appear before the authorities. The ECP officials then decide the matter after listening to both sides and reviewing all available documents.
'Can I opt for postal ballot?'
You can opt for a postal ballot only if you hold a public office and are posted away from your enrolled district. You can also use this option if you are among the dependent family members of a government servant who have been posted away from his or her enrolled constituency
Also, if you are a staffer on election duty, you can cast your vote through postal ballots within the dates specified by the commission.
Furthermore, a person with any physical disability who is unable to travel and holds a CNIC with a logo for physical disability can use the facility of postal ballot. Besides this, a person detained in a prison or held in custody can also cast his or her vote through postal ballot.
'Why can't I still register?'
You are not eligible to become a voter if you are
not a citizen of Pakistan;
less than eighteen years of age on the first day of January of the year in which the rolls are prepared or revised;
not possessing a National Identity Card issued by the National Database and Registration Authority at any time till the last day fixed for inviting claims, objections and applications for preparation, revision or correction of electoral rolls;
declared by a competent court to be of unsound mind;
not deemed under section 27 to be resident in the electoral area.
Information taken from ECP website
Design: Nabeel Ahmed
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