Sittwe: About 1,608,100 people in Arakan state will get a chance to cast votes in the referendum scheduled to be held on May 10, according to a report of the Arakan State election commission.

The number of voters in the state was recently released by the commission and has been distributed to all township election commissions in Arakan.

Voters on the rolls are mostly Buddhists and Muslims, with Christians being the third largest religious group. In Arakan State, there are 17 townships and residents aged 18 and above throughout the state will be able to cast votes in the referendum.

The junta authorities are hoping that 90 percent of voters in Arakan State will go to the polling booths to cast votes, said an official.

However, it is uncertain whether Arakanese people will make it to the polling booths to vote, said a local resident in Maungdaw.