Voter's Education : : Nepal Election Portal

Voter's Registration

Legislative parliament endorsed the Voter's Roll Act, 2063 for Constitutent Assembly Election on December 29, 2006. The act entrusted the responsibility of collecting the voter's list and updating it, to the Election Commission of Nepal. The act provides for two kinds of Voters- temporary and permanent.

Voter Registration and Updating Process:

The Election Commission must perform the function of voter registration in Village Development Committees and municipalities, under its direct supervision, control and direction.
The Commission begins the task by releasing the existing list in different VDCs and municipalities.
While registering or updating the voters list, the Election Commission has to issue the notice on the State sealed document, known as Rajpatra.
The Commission may mark the timeline for registration. The registration could either happen in the same period or at different periods at different areas. However, the registration for a particular VDC or municipality must happen at the same time.
The Commission may appoint a Chief Registration Officer, Registration Officer or Assistant Registration Officer in every District, for collection of the names and necessary information about a voter, preparation of Voter's Roll and voter roll updating or any other work related to it, according to the requirement.
For the purpose of Voter Registration and Voter's roll updating, the Commission may deploy government officers, Civil Servants or government school teachers, depending on the requirement.
The Registration officer will be stationed in a municipality or a VDC, depending on the closeness of distance to his/her residence.

Qualifications for a Voter:

Has to be a Nepali Citizen
Should have arrived at the age of 18 by the end of the year before the Voter registration is being conducted. The case is exceptional for the Constituent Assembly election. A voter needs to have arrived at the age of 18 by December 2006.
Has to be a permanend resident of a VDC or municipality.

Permanent Resident:

Anyone who has been registered in the voter list but is residing elsewhere due to work related posting.
If a person is away on business, away for treatment, away on urgent work or in prison.

Temporary Residents:

If he/she has rented property for business use and lives there only temporarily. He/she and his/her family will be called temporary residents.
Government employees, posted to different parts of the country for work, army/police personnel stationed at different places. Those who live away from their residents, at hospitals, nursing homes, army barracks, cantonments, schools, hostels, orphanage or old age homes or prisons.

Transfer of Registration:

Evidence for Registration:

Citizen's duty toward Voter Registration:

It is every citizen's duty to register with the Election Commission, if he/she has arrived at the correct age for voting.
Members of a family must support the Election officer in collecting information for registration, by supplying correct information.

Publication of Voter's Roll:

The Voter's Roll will be released in repective ward offices of VDCs or municipalities within the time fixed by the Election Commission.
If the name of a person is missing from the list, he/she may apply with the Registration Officer during the timeline mentioned by the EC for re-registation. The person will have to bring along necessary evidence for the purpose.
If there are any mistakes in the name, in the Voters' list published by the Election Commission, the concerned person or his/her family member may apply for amendment, along with evidence, within the deadline mentioned by the Commission.

Release of amended Voter's List:

Objection against the Voter's List:

Removal of repeated names:

Removal of name from Voters' List:

If a voter dies or migrates, or gives up Nepali citizenship, or loses the right to vote due to any other reason, any other voter who has information about it, may inform the Registration officer, within the time mentioned by the Election Commission.

Once the notice is issued, the Registration Officer has to conduct an investigation and remove the name on the basis of evidence.
f a Registration Officer finds out through legal documents that a voter has tranferred to a different constituency, the voter's name must be removed from the list. The officer has to put up a notice in the concerned ward office about the removal of the name from the voters' list.

Release of final Voters' List:

After the completion of the process of claim, objection, investigation and amendment, the Registration officer has to prepare a final list of voters and publish it within the timeline mentioned by the Election Commission.
The Registration Officer has to send the finalized voters' list to the Election Commission within the stipulated time.

Revision of Voters' List:

Special case for inclusion of name:

Final Voter's List:

Special Provision on Temporary Voting List:

Government officials, local bodies officer bearers or employees of organizations owned by the government.
Those stationed in police centres or army barracks or in cantonments (such as the Maoist soldiers)
Prisoners and convicts
Election and Security Officers deployed at the polling centres.

Temporary Voters:

Government officials, local bodies officer bearers or employees of organizations owned by the government:

It is the Registration officer's job to prepare and update the list of these persons. If a job-holder at a government institution has been posted to his/her own residence area, the name will however be registered in the permanent voting list.
Those stationed in police centres or army barracks or in cantonments:

A separate Voters' list is prepared from the municipal or ward office, where the barrack or the contonment is located. This list is considered a temporary voters' list. The temporary list will be made, on the basis of the evidence list provided by the administrative officer of the barrack of the Maoist cantonment.
Prisoners and convicts:

The Registration Officer is responsible for preparation of the temporary voting list for inmates. A separate Voters' list is prepared from the ward office or municipal office, where the prison is located. This list is considered a temporary voters' list. The Jailor or the Prison in-charge is responsible for providing evidence to the Election officer for the preparation of the temporary voting list.
Election and security Officers deployed at the polling centres:

The Election Commission will prepare a separate temporary voters list of election or security officers, at the time of their deployment to the polling stations.

Temporary Votes List:

Temporary voters will only be allowed to cast their vote for the proportional representation election during the Constituent Assembly election, scheduled for April 10th.
Voter registred as temporary, may cast their ballot at a special polling station established for them by the Election Commission.

Disqualification of Voter:

a person who is of unsound mind
a person who is facing a sentence on charges of Electoral Offence. Or if he/she has not crossed a period of a year since being imprisoned on such charges.

Guilty of Electoral Offence:

If a non-Nepali citizen registers himself/herself in the voters list by way of lying.
If during the registration process, a person has lied about name, family name, residence, age or other information. If the person has applied for registration with wrong information or if the person has filed faulty protest application.
If one adds information or makes amends to an already released voters list, or if he/she destroys or attempts to destroy it.
If one tries to bribe the Election Officers, threaten or terrorise them or misbehaves with them.
If the confidentiality of a matter related to voter registration is violated.

Punishment:

If a non-Nepali citizen registers himself/herself in the voters' list by way of lying, he she will be charged a fine of up to 5 thousand rupees and imprisoned for 6 months. Or face either one of the two.
A person who has assisted the person in carrying out such a deed or has planned it, is also subject to 50% of the punishment mentioned above.
Election Commission may take action against a person for electoral offences such as, inclusion or exclusion of names or changing of names in the list incorrectly, according to the prevaling laws under the Nepal government.

Verification of Voter:

If a voter applies with the Election Office, requesting evidence of registration of his/her name as a voter, Commission or Election officers must provide evidence of registration.

Assistance for Registration Officer:

Voter's Identity Card: