A step-by-step guide to help navigate voting and all its intricacies.
Are you a first-time voter? Confused about what to do, where to go and how to exercise your right to franchise? Has the election-related vocabulary left you scratching your head in confusion?
Fret not as Dawn.com has compiled a step-by-step guide for first-time voters eager to play their part in the democratic process tomorrow.
Are you eligible to vote?
According to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), a person shall be entitled to be enrolled as a voter in an electoral area if they are the following:
- A citizen of Pakistan
- 18 years of age
- Possess a computerised national identity card (CNIC) issued by the National Database and Registration Authority (Nadra)
- Are not declared of unsound mind by a competent court
- A resident or deemed to be one under section 27 of the Electoral Act, 2017
Unfortunately, if you’ve recently turned 18, you will not be enrolled to vote, even though you are legally allowed to. This is because the deadline to register as a voter ended last year in October, which means that anyone who has turned 18 after that will not be able to vote this time.
According to data from the electoral watchdog, the total number of registered voters in the country is 128.58 million.
Where is your polling station?
To find out your constituency and polling station, you need to text your CNIC number (without spaces or dashes) to 8300 — the only official code for the ECP.
You will receive an automated response with the name of the electoral area, block code and serial number.
Polling starts at 8am and will typically conclude by 5pm. Anyone who enters the polling station after the cut-off time will not be allowed to cast their vote so make sure you get there on time.
What do you need on the day of and how will the process proceed?
On Feb 8, make sure to carry your original CNIC on your person when headed to the polling station. Photocopies, duplicates, or any other document will not be accepted.
Another important thing to remember — you will not be allowed to take your cell phone inside the polling station so best to leave it at home.
As you enter the polling station — men and women will enter separately — you will be frisked by a security officer. Once inside, look for a list which has voter names and designated polling booths on it, and then proceed to the polling booth you have been assigned.
You will then interact with the polling officer, who will ask to see your original CNIC. They are responsible for confirming the identity of the voter from the voter’s photograph as it appears on the electoral roll provided at the polling station, as well as confirming that your name is on the voter list.
Next, the polling officer will mark your thumb with non-erasable ink to obtain your thumb impression on the electoral rolls as proof that you have exercised your right to vote.
Following that, the assistant presiding officer will hand you two ballot papers, one each for the national and provincial assemblies. You will have to stamp your thumb impression on the counterfoils, which is the part of the ballot paper they keep for their own record.
Make sure the assistant presiding officer has signed on the back of each ballot paper as well as on the counterfoil. If this isn’t done, a polling agent can call your votes into question and have them cancelled during the counting process. Therefore, make sure your ballots are valid before you stamp them.
The green ballot paper is for the National Assembly, while the white ballot paper is for your provincial assembly.
Now, proceed to the polling booth, which is usually placed behind a screen for privacy purposes. You will not be issued a replacement ballot paper, so before you head to the polling booth, make up your mind about who you are voting for. Once the paper has been stamped, you cannot change your decision.
Remember: Your vote is entirely your prerogative; do not feel pressured to vote based on someone else’s suggestion or insistence. If someone tries to tell you who to vote for, report that individual to the polling officer immediately.
Decide who you want to vote for, and stamp your thumb on the ballot paper in the box of the candidate you want to vote for. Make sure your vote is marked for a single candidate only.
Also note that attaching any kind of object to the ballot paper, either intentionally or inadvertently, will result in its rejection. Additionally, revealing your personal identity on the ballot paper will also result in the ballot papers being rejected.
Let the ink dry and fold the ballot paper according to how you are instructed. The green paper goes into the box with the green lid, and the white paper goes into the box with the white lid.
Congratulations, you are done voting for the first time!
Expand your election-related vocabulary
If you are a first-time voter, chances are that there must be some terms which have you stumped.
Do you think gerrymandering is a painful medical procedure and a returning officer is someone who processes your online returns? Let us expand your knowledge by explaining some fairly common terms and then some.
1. ECP
The constitutionally-mandated body tasked with overseeing all election-related affairs, as well as the internal conduct of political parties.
2. Constituency
A geographically compact electoral unit carved out on a territorial basis from where voters elect a representative to the national and provincial assembly.
3. Delimitation
The process of demarcating boundaries of an electoral constituency. The ECP carries out delimitation based on a preceding census. For the 2024 general election, a digital census was carried out last year and subsequently ratified by the Council of Common Interests.
4. Returning officers
The officer appointed by the ECP to conduct all election proceedings in a constituency.
5. Presiding officer
An officer appointed by the returning officer to conduct polling at the polling station in accordance with the law.
6. Gerrymandering
To manipulate the boundaries of an electoral constituency to favour one party or class.
7. District
An administrative unit. A province is divided into several districts for effective administration.
8. Disenfranchise
To deprive a citizen from exercising his/her right to vote.
9. First past the post system
A voting system in which each voter chooses a single candidate and the candidate with the most votes is deemed elected. It is also called the simple majority system. In Pakistan, elections for general seats in the national and provincial assemblies are held using this system.
10. Manifesto
A document in which a political party or candidate mentions its or his/her political beliefs and intentions in case the party or candidate wins the election.
11. Referendum
Seeking public opinion by way of popular vote of the electorate about an issue, a policy or a legislative act.
12. Symbol
An election symbol allotted to a political party, as prescribed under the law. It appears on ballot papers against the names of candidates fielded by the party.
14. National Assembly
The lower house of the Parliament. The NA has 342 seats, 272 of which are directly elected, 60 are reserved for women and a further 10 for religious minorities. The president can dissolve the National Assembly, only on the prime minister’s advice.
