ECP releases final voters list: Number of registered voters increased by 9.7 millions since 2018

ISLAMABAD: Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) released on Friday the final voter lists containing 115,748,753 registered voters including 64,078,616 male, 51,667,599 female and 2,538 transgenders, showing an increase of 97,93,344 voters compared to 105,955,409 voters registered for 2018 general elections.

The male voters comprise of 55 percent of total voters registered in Pakistan while the female voters comprise of 45 percent and transgenders 0.002 per cent, according to the voters' data issued by the ECP.

There are 66,236,144 registered voters in Punjab including 36,371,326 male voters (55 per cent of total voters in Punjab), 29,862,932 female voters (45 per cent) and 1,886 transgender voters in Punjab (0.003 per cent), the data shows.

In Sindh, there are 24,351,681 voters including 13,443,983 male voters (55 per cent of total registered voters in Sindh), 10,907,267 female voters (45 per cent) and 431 transgenders (0.002 per cent), the ECP data shows.

In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, there are 19,533,964 registered voters including 11,076,630 male voters (57 per cent of total registered voters in KP), 8,457,201 female voters (43 per cent) and 133 transgender voters (0.001 per cent), according to the data.

In Balochistan, there are 4,801,131 registered voters including 2,753,946 male voters (57 per cent of total registered voters in Balochistan), 2,047,104 female voters (43 per cent) and 81 transgender voters 0.002 per cent.

In Islamabad, there are 825,833 total registered voters including 432,731 male voters (52 per cent of total registered voters in Islamabad), 393,095 female voters 48 per cent and seven transgender voters (0.001 per cent).

On August 13, 2020, ECP announced to publish the voter lists containing all the registered voters in Pakistan in line with the electoral body's preparations for local government elections in the provinces. On August 18, the ECP decided to revise the date for the publication of voter lists from September 16 to October 4, 2020, in order to have three million fresh voters included in the voter lists before publishing the electoral rolls based on more than 115 million voters ahead of local government elections in the provinces.

However, the ECP issued the voters list on Friday, two days before the scheduled date, apparently because October 4 falls on Sunday, the weekly holiday.

In the voter lists of last general elections, known as Final Electoral Rolls (FERs) 2018, there were 105,955,409 registered voters including 59,224,263 male voters and 46,731,146 female voters. This implies that male voters were 12,493,117 more in number in comparison with female voters. Out of these 105,955,409, some 60,672,870 were registered in Punjab including 33,679,993 male and 26,992,877 female voters, 22,391,244 voters in Sindh including 12,436,844 male and 9,954,400 female voters, 15,316,299 voters in KP including 8,705,831 male and 6,610,468 female voters, 4,299,494 voters in Balochistan including 2,486,230 male and 1,813,264 female voters and 765,348 voters in Islamabad ICT including 407,463 male and 357,885 female voters.

On March 6, 2020, the ECP decided to seek from National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) the details of persons issued Computerized National Identity Cards (CNIC) in the backdrop of huge difference of more than 12.49 million voters between male and female voters in the voters lists of the last general elections held on July 25, 2018.

The ECP said on August 18, it would include some three million fresh voters in the voter lists in exercise of powers as per Section 25 (1) of Elections Act 2017.

"In such manner as may be prescribed, the National Database and Registration Authority shall transmit relevant data of every fresh National Identity Card issued by it to the Commission for registration of the card-holder as a voter in the electoral roll of the electoral area in which his permanent or temporary address is located, in accordance with the option indicated by him in the application for issuance of the National Identity Card," it reads.

In accordance with the Section 39 of Elections Act 2017, the registration, transfer and correction of votes is possible till the issuance of elections' schedule and is temporarily stopped till the elections are held.

This section reads, "In case of an election to fill a casual vacancy to an Assembly or a local government, no revision of or correction in an electoral roll of an electoral area or inclusion or transfer of a vote from the electoral roll of an electoral area to the electoral roll of another electoral area shall be made nor shall any order - be made in respect of any electoral roll at any time after the constituency of which such electoral area forms part has been called upon to elect its representative and before such representative has been elected."

Copyright Business Recorder, 2020