Staff Correspondent:

The Election Commission (EC) will publish the final updated voter list on Sunday, March 2. On the same day, the commission will also celebrate National Voter Day.

However, the door-to-door voter list update process will continue until June. Despite legal complexities, the Election Commission aims to allow those who register before the election schedule to cast their votes.

18.33 MILLION NEW VOTERS ADDED

On January 2, 2024, the Election Commission released a draft voter list, which included an additional 18.33 million new voters, bringing the total number of registered voters to 123.7 million. After addressing objections, the final voter list will be published on March 2.

However, due to the lower-than-expected number of new voter registrations and the failure to remove deceased voters, the commission identified inconsistencies in the list. To address this, the constitutional body began a door-to-door voter registration process on January 20. Those who turn 18 by January 1, 2026, will be included in the updated list.

SPECIAL ARRANGEMENTS FOR VOTER DAY

The Election Commission has decided to invite coordinators of anti-discrimination movements to this year’s Voter Day celebrations.

According to a report signed by SM Asaduzzaman, Director General of the Election Institute and chairman of the event committee, rallies and discussions will be held at the district, upazila, and central levels.

The central discussion event will take place at the Election Commission headquarters, with invitations extended to ten coordinators from anti-discrimination movements, representatives from the European Union and UNDP, and members of civil society observer groups. Notably, no celebrities will participate in the rally.

6.2 MILLION NEW VOTERS EXPECTED

The Election Commission estimates that approximately 6.2 million new voters will be added to the voter list once the update process is completed. As of February 24, a total of 5.49 million citizens have either registered as new voters or been removed from the list due to ineligibility. Additionally, around 1.7 million deceased voters have been removed from the database.

FUTURE VOTER LIST UPDATES

According to the Voter List Act, the final voter list is published annually on March 2 after updates are completed. The current door-to-door update, which began on January 20, will lead to a draft voter list being published in January 2026.

However, if the national elections are held in December 2025, the commission will have to conduct the elections based on the voter list published on March 2, 2024.

Senior EC Secretary Akhtar Ahmed stated that amendments to the Voter Registration Act are under consideration. However, the final decision on the deadline for new voter registrations will be made based on consensus. The secretary also confirmed that the new voter list will be finalized by June 30.