The Election Commission (EC) has completed the task of collecting voter data by visiting homes, a process which wrapped up on Monday, February 3. A total of over 47 million citizens’ data was collected during this update. Among these, approximately 1.05 million dead voters will be removed from the voter list.
ASM Humayun Kabir, the Director-General of the National Identity Registration Division, confirmed that data for 1,039,220 dead voters had been gathered, along with data for 3,745,784 new potential voters. He noted that Monday’s data has not yet been included, so the numbers may change slightly.
The voter list update began on January 20, when the EC began collecting information door-to-door. Monday marked the final day for data collection.
From February 5, the next phase will begin, involving the collection of photographs, fingerprints, and iris scans, which will continue until April 11. This update follows previous efforts to revise the voter list, which have been conducted six times since the introduction of the photo-based voter list in 2007-2008. Updates took place in the years 2009-2010, 2012-2013, 2015-2016, 2017-2018, 2019-2020, and 2022-2023.
For those registering as new voters, the following documents must be provided:
– A copy of the 17-digit online birth certificate
– A copy of the nationality/citizenship certificate
– A photocopy of a close relative’s national ID (e.g., parent, sibling)
– A copy of SSC/Dakhil/equivalent or 8th-grade completion certificate (if applicable)
– A copy of a utility bill (electricity, gas, water, or security guard receipt)
The EC has also issued a warning regarding the voter registration process. Applicants are advised to:
– Ensure their name, parents’ names, and birthdate match exactly with the birth certificate or educational documents.
– Write the correct date of birth according to the birth certificate or education certificate.
– Provide the actual permanent address when filling out the form.
– Be aware that double registration is illegal and punishable by law. Fingerprint verification can easily detect multiple registrations.
According to the most recent update, the total number of voters in Bangladesh stands at 121,850,160.
