Making fair voter list a difficult task for EC
An official verifies the facts needed for updating the voter list as tender aged boys queue for enrolment at a voter registration centre in Nilphamari municipality. The election commission officials alleged manipulation of facts in the birth certificates and existence of dual voters in the district.Photo: STAR
Voter list updating, which started on March 10 in the district, has been witnessing several flaws allegedly due to manipulation of facts and figures by the future aspirants of the areas. In spite of Election Commission officials' efforts to make the list fair, loopholes are evident in the process, creating possibility for intrusion of under-aged people in the voter list. Besides, there is tendency to become dual voter among a section of people. It has been found that underage voters are using fake birth registration certificates issued by union parishad chairmen who intend to contest in the next local body elections. As per rules, people who attained at least 18 years of age on January 1, 2012, are eligible for inclusion in the voter list. This time, the Election Commission is also recording data of those who would be 18 years' old on January 1 in 2013. After attaining that age they would also be included in the voter list, as no updating will be done in 2013 while the Jatiya Sangsad election is scheduled to be held in 2014. The union parishad chairmen or municipal mayors concerned are empowered to issue birth registration certificates as proof of attaining the required age. In the first phase, voter updating is going on in Sadar, Saidpur and Jaldhaka, among the six upazilas under Nilphamari district. Visiting a few registration centres including those in Nilphamari and Jaldhaka municipalities recently, it was found that in the queue, there were some people who looked tender aged but had birth registration certificates. Sakander Ali, acting upazila election officer (UEO) of Jaldhaka, said, "So far I have refused to register as voters around 200 young men because I doubted the legality of their birth registration certificates issued by union parishad chairmen concerned. Their appearance indicated that they are too under-aged to attain the legal age for being voters." "Earlier voter enumerators recorded their particulars following inauthentic birth registration certificates. The union parishad chairmen concerned did not even take into consideration the academic certificates (of those who have it) before issuing birth registration certificates,” he said. Tendency to become dual voter adds to the problem, said Saidpur UEO Sayed Md Abul Kalam Azad. “As I doubted, I sent the particulars of a good number of intending voters to the district election office. After cross checking, it was found that 109 people wanted to be dual voters. Obviously they were denied registration,” he added. Admitting such problems, District Election Officer Zakia Sultana said, "At Charaikhola union voter registration centre in Sadar upazila I myself found that a number of tender aged boys and girls came with birth certificates issued by the UP chairman concerned. When I asked the chairman about this, he admitted issuing birth certificates many months ago to enable the people get job at Uttara EPZ in the area. She however said that such practice has stopped after introduction of online birth record system. Additional Regional Election Officer in Rangpur Habibur Rahman said it is impossible for anyone to become a fake voter as an intending voter has to undergo a series of interviews and verifications. Observers, however, said that the prevailing system cannot fully prevent enumeration of fake voters as manpower temporarily engaged for the purpose, such as enumerators, identifiers and supervisors, in most cases belong to the same area. They often find it difficult to oppose the will of local UP chairman or municipality mayor who sometimes issue fake birth registration certificates and ward members or councillors who work as verifier at registration centres. Sometimes, chairmen and members encourage under-aged or ineligible followers to be voters for winning the next local body elections. The one-day training arranged for the enumerators and supervisors often seems inadequate to serve the purpose. Moreover, those who are responsible for issuing fake birth certificates or those who stand in queue for becoming dual voters are seldom brought under the law. Regional Election Officer in Rangpur Israil Hossain, said, "We are sincerely and honestly doing the task of updating the voter list. We welcome the media if they find any loopholes and inform us. We must not allow irregularities any more."
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