Voter list updating drive begins Tuesday
Dhaka: The voter list updating drive begins on Tuesday with door-to-door data collection exercise in 183 upazilas in its first phase across the country.
According to an estimate of the Election Commission Secretariat, some 3.5 million people are likely to be registered as possible voters during the three-phase countrywide data collection programme.
Any citizen who was born on or before January 1, 2000 is eligible to get enlisted as a voter.
"We've taken measures to update the electoral roll for ensuring that it's completely flawless before the next parliamentary elections," said Election Commissioner Brig Gen (retd) Shahadat Hossain Chowdhury.
The EC is going to collect the data of possible voters through a door-to-door campaign from July 25 to August 9.
Enumerators will collect the data of possible voters in three phases by August 9 next starting on July 25.
They will collect the data in 183 upazilas for 22 days in the first phase, while 216 upazilas for 28 days in the second phase and 118 upazilas for 21 days in the third phase.
The upazila election offices will receive applications for transferring voting addresses and drop dead people from the electoral roll between November 25 and December 15.
This year the EC has taken special measures for 30 upazilas instead of 20 ones to prevent Rohingyas from being voters during the voter list updating programme.
The Commission defined the 30 upazilas as special areas where the upazila-level special committee will verify information given by possible voters in the special forms and reject applications of the Rohingya and other foreign nationals.
About Rohingyas, Shahadat Hossain said they have taken all the necessary measures to prevent Rohingyas and other foreign nationals from getting enlisted as voters.
The 30 special areas include all eight upazilas of Cox's Bazar district, all seven upazilas of Bandarban, eight upazilas (except Nanniarchar and Kaukhali upazilas) of Rangamti, and seven upazilas --Boalkhali, Patiya, Anwara, Chandanish, Satkania, Lohagara and Banskhali- of Chittagong district.