Mon State’s voter registration for Burma’s upcoming 2015 general elections will open the first week of March. The State’s registration process will be implemented with help from the International Foundation of Electoral Systems (IFES), which will provide technological infrastructure for the project.
According to U Hein Lin Htet, Vice-President of the Mon State Election Sub-Commission, based on the voter list generated by the General Administration Office, Mon State’s voter registration process will begin on 3 March 2015.
He said: “The [Mon State] population list must be updated, so that it can be used as a voter list. There are four categories used in voter list registration but, at the moment, only three categories are applied.”
The first category for voter registration includes those who are of 18 years or older and are included on a household list in the township in which they live. The third group includes those of 18 years or older, who have a valid identity card but are not included on any household lists, and the fourth category comprises those who are 18 years or older, but do not possess a national ID, or any other valid identification documents.
The second category for voter registration includes civil servants who are assigned to serve townships outside their native townships. This group will be registered after the elections.
The Union Election Commission (UEC) said it is cross-checking immigration forms filed with the population department and household lists from Township administrations across Mon State.
“In our village, voter lists are being gathered. It was already done for the first time, but now, the second time, it is underway for its final stage,” said a village administrator from Mudon Township.
The village administrator continued that the election commission groups are primarily gathering information on citizens 18 years and above who are included on a household document and are eligible to vote.
The IFES will provide thirty computers for Mon State’s voter registration and will provide training for 65 commission members from 10 townships under the Mon State Election Sub-Commission. The commission will then initiate the voter registration process on 3 March.
The first phase of Burma’s nationwide voter registration took place in November and December 2014, the second phase was initiated from December 2014 to February 2015, the third phase taking place between January and March 2015, with the fourth phase set to take place from February till April 2015, according to the UEC.
Once the voter registration process is complete in Mon State, the IFES will input the data into its program and then transfer the data to the Union Election Commission in Nay Pyi Taw; the UEC will then maintain and store this data. Once it has received the data, the UEC will forward the voter list on to the township election commissions throughout Mon State.
According to the Union Election Commission, the 2015 election will be held in October or November of this year; the group will announce the exact date in August, 2015.
