Expanding the electoral footprint

There are 7.9 million Pakistanis living overseas and most of them are above the age of majority and eligible to vote. The number is so large that there is a possibility that they could influence or even determine the outcome of general or local body elections. With by-elections in 37 constituencies on October 14^th for both national and provincial assemblies, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has made a timely announcement. It has launched its i-voting website which will enable overseas Pakistanis to cast their votes, with registration to begin on Saturday, September 1. The registration window is open from the 1^st to the 15^th of the month with the pass codes which are unique to each voter being issued between the 10^th and the 14^th — which may seem a little tight but is a precautionary measure to limit fraud or misrepresentation. Votes on the day can be cast between 8am and 5pm and only those who are already registered voters in Pakistan will be eligible to exercise their franchise.

The process of registration is two-step and all very new. The ECP has created tutorials in Urdu and English on its website in order to walk through the procedures those who want to register. A wise and very necessary move because although it is assumed that most of those overseas are at the very least internet-connected, it does not mean that they are internet-competent. Particular care has to be taken to ensure the confidentiality of the pass code issued to the voter, and voters are required not to delete the email containing the pass code and to personally be responsible for protecting its secrecy — which may be something of a tall order.

In electoral terms this is uncharted territory, as is the whole process of registration and issuance of the vital codes. Considering the assorted glitches that accompanied the use of online technologies in the recent General Election, it is reasonable to assume that the chances of everything going right on polling day are slim. Always pause, take a deep breath and double-check before pressing ‘enter’. Good luck!

Published in The Express Tribune, September 3^rd, 2018.

Like Opinion & Editorial on Facebook, follow @ETOpEd on Twitter to receive all updates on all our daily pieces.