The National Election Committee (NEC) announced that voter lists and voter registration checks will begin in all communes across the country from October 1-19 as part of an annual voter list update.
An NEC press release issued on Monday said: “According to population statistics and the estimated number of voting stations, the NEC plans to register 300,390 new voters and delete 123,251 names from the list. There are 23,418 voting stations.
The final voter list for 2019 had 8,629,357 names, said the press release. Following the calendar of review of the 2020 voter list and registration, the list of voting station locations and the final 2019 voter list was posted in communes across the country on September 21.
NEC spokesman Hang Puthea told The Post on Tuesday that the final voter list for 2019 was posted so that those who had already registered can check and verify their data.
If the data on the voter list doesn’t match a Khmer identity card, voters can request a correction with the voter registration team during the upcoming voter registration process in the commune.
The Capital-Provincial Election Secretariat, in cooperation with commune-district councils, has completed the postings in 1,644 communes-districts.
Lists for communes in Koh Rong town and Preah Sihanouk province have not been posted yet due to heavy rain and winds.
“There are some other provinces facing obstacles such as rain, winds and floods, which have made it difficult to travel, but have not stopped the work,” Puthea said.
The NEC is asking people to check the voter list and registration to ensure they are on the list and have the right to vote. Any irregularities should be corrected.
Committee for Free and Fair Elections in Cambodia survey and advocacy coordinator Korn Savang said the voter list is getting better every year in tandem with the people’s socio-economic conditions. Therefore, the NEC update and the participation of the people are important and thoroughly monitored.
“I do not expect that this year, there will be a revival of people checking names and registering to vote because there are two main factors – the living conditions of the people and the sharing of information to the people,” Savang said.