ECP extends voter registration deadline to Oct 28

ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Tuesday extended the deadline for the voter registration and information update from October 25 to Saturday (October 28).

The decision was made during a meeting chaired by Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sikandar Sultan Raja.

The commissioner has called upon the general public to utilise this final opportunity to ensure their registration, transfers, exclusions, and vote accuracy by October 28.

Moreover, the electoral body also asked all eligible voters to verify their registration status in the voter lists by texting their Computerised National Identity Card (CNIC) to 8300 as voters’ lists would be frozen after October 25.

After sending an SMS to 8300, an automated response will be generated, furnishing information such as the name of the electoral area, block code, and serial number.

Each registered voter has the option to verify their details by visiting the District Election Commissioner’s (DEC) office in their respective area, where the complete electoral roll is accessible, the ECP spokesman said.

The addresses and contact information for the DEC’s offices across the four provinces can be found on the election commission’s website.

He mentioned that voters had the option to download Form-21 (for voter registration or transfer), Form-22 (for raising objections or addressing omissions in voting), and Form-23 (for correcting personal details).

These forms can then be submitted to the appropriate offices of Form Registration Officers and Assistant Registration Officers.

He mentioned that citizens could obtain information by dialing the ECP helpline at 051-8848888, where they will receive responses from a tele-computerised system.

Facilitation desks operated by the Election Commission in both Islamabad and its district-level offices are actively engaged in accomplishing this assignment.

The Election Commission invoked the Elections Act, 2017 to freeze the voter lists on July 20, 2023. In order to simplify the process for the public, the lists were then unfrozen from September 28 to October 25, 2023, allowing all eligible individuals to either register, withdraw, or rectify their information.