A man peruses the voter list posted online by the NEC, on July 19. Heng Chivoan
The National Election Committee (NEC) launched an online system which will make it easier for voters to update expired voter registration documents from July 15, as many ID cards will expire in 2023.
According to a July 14 letter from NEC chairman Prach Chan, obtained by The Post on July 19, the NEC has instructed all electoral preparation secretariats in the capital and provinces to cooperate with commune councils and village chiefs explain the system to people.
The system will allow anyone who is registered on voterlist.nec.gov.kh to register for updated documentation. It will be operational from July 15 to October 12.
The letter said that the instruction corresponded with NEC directive Number 150 dated October 5, 2020, which suggested preparing an online platform so those whose registration documents – ID cards or previous electoral registrations – had expired could be issued replacements in a timely manner.
NEC spokesman Som Sorida said on July 19 that on the formal electoral lists, some people had used expired ID cards and some others had used certificates which were issued solely for registration.
Based on date from the Ministry of Interior, he said, the ID cards of over 2 million people will expire in 2023.
“We prepared this system to make it easy for people to change their registration documents on the electoral lists this year. They can do it online, or they can meet with an electoral registration team and ask them to change them,” he said.
Sam Sokuntheamy, director of the Neutral and Impartial Committee for Free and Fair Elections in Cambodia, said on July 19 that the launch of the system would make registration easier for people whose documents had expired.
“It is great that we have these modern systems, but the most important thing is that, people who are eligible to vote will need to remember to get new IDs so they can renew their registration,” he said.
Yong Sak, head of the Banteay Meanchey provincial electoral secretariat, said on July 19 that he had received the NEC’s letter. The province had more than 14,000 expired IDs among the 4,005,730 people registered in the 2021 electoral list. He was preparing to share this information to the appropriate parties.
“I will disseminate this information to the commune chiefs and they will pass on it to the village chiefs,” he said.
