The Primary Report of Tammuz Organization about update of Voter Registry from 9th to 17th January.2012

Tammuz Organization for Social Development has followed the update of voters’ registry in Baghdad and provinces to elect provisional councils 2013, the update has announced by High Commission on 9th of January 2012. Tammuz Organization continuously visited the stations of voters’ registry in Baghdad and provinces.

The organization recorded some notices about the update stations, and the organizations also proposes a number of recommendations to the Independent High Electoral Commission and other relevant foundations for purpose of contributing in success of the update process, and guide the voters to follow up the update stations for ensure the large number of voters, who have right to elect and practice their right and role in the participation to build democracy state.  

It is notable that the update is puny because the citizens do not attending special youths, who have reached the age 18 and have right to elect, and that may cause confusion and unfairness on election day because of the absence of their names in the register of voters on polling day, and requires the Commission and the rest of the official and concerned parties stand serious to determine the causes and treatment; and among notes:

1-Some stations are far from citizens houses; the places of stations must be clear and near to them in order to can be accessed easily

2-There are no introduction boards or maps to know of the places of station in Baghdad and provinces where we noticed damage or remove some boards. 

3-There is no interesting the update matter of voters’ registry and observe it by civil society organizations, surveillance network s and political entities; so we need to intensive the mass efforts by the commission and civil society foundations to increase the awareness. 

4-The lack of propaganda of the update matter of the voters’ registry special in the remote areas where requires condensation and focus on advertising and follow the innovative ways and means to reach a wider geographical area includes not only cities to stimulate the active participation of the citizens.

5-Lack of TV propaganda to explain the update of voters’ registry and its important, and necessary their following up because TV advertising is the most watching by citizens 

6- The complexity of the process to make sure the data in the voter registry through the website where it requires to provide a number of information from them (Enter the number of voters), which may not be available to the voter, which is required to facilitate the procedures for ease of use.

For the sake of success process of the update of voters’ registry and ensure the active participating in the next elections, it is required the serious work by the civil society foundations, observance networks and the state foundations including the Independent Higher Electoral Commission. 

Tammuz Organization calls to awareness citizens to increase of the update stations and ensure their names in the voters’ register special youth, and the commission must wide their media activity through propaganda, seminars and TV advertising, and it must also require to interest of remote areas, districts and countryside within seminars and propagandas.

The awareness of the responsibility lies also on the political entities of updating the voter registry directly and monitoring networks and civil society organizations that did not have any notes any observe of voter register’s update, so it required the political entities must urge citizens to update their data. 

It is supposed of multi-media as audio and visual to increase its positive role in raising the awareness of the community in this field because the success of the update process ensures broad participation in the elections, leading to the consolidation of democratic practices and move forward in the transition towards a modern democratic state. 

We call the Electoral Commission taking observations above into consideration and in the case of the continuing weakness follow up centers update by citizens High Commissioner requires extending the period of update in order to make way for the possible number largest of people who want to update their data.