Electoral roll : For error-free lists, NGO proposes photo IDs

Aurat Foundation tries to come up with ways to get people to register in June.

KARACHI:

The Aurat Foundation got together on Wednesday to discuss ways to persuade people to vote in the country’s elections and how to make the electoral rolls more accurate.

“Since the country is expected to begin the electoral registration process in June this year, we must focus on compiling an error-free list of voters,” said consultant and election specialist, Mohammad Aslam Brohi.

Others suggested that people willing to vote should submit photographs of themselves while registering to prevent impersonation. They also discussed modifications initiated through the 18th Amendment in the Constitution.

The foundation pointed out that different institutions need to trust each other in order to help raise public interest for the elections. As an incentive to vote, registration should be made compulsory for people above 18 years of age if they want to travel abroad. Without registering, they will not be able to travel, even for a religious trip, Brohi said.

“Fortunately we see close coordination between the Pakistan Election Commission and the National Database and Registration Authority,” he added. Brohi traced the history of electoral registers in the country and compared them to international standards. The most essential component was fairness, he said, closely followed by the voters’ education and their access to the process. He highlighted the importance of accuracy, sustainability and legality of the voter lists as a means to convince the public to trust the voting process. The participants agreed that Pakistan should follow Bangladesh’s example. They too are a heavily populated Muslim country where women are allowed to vote, said the foundation’s Malka Khan. Another representative, Shireen Khokhar, explained how these electoral rolls serve as national identification and have benefitted Bangladesh.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 29^th, 2011.