The CEC commenced the registration, exhibition and challenge process in preparation for this year’s local elections, which are scheduled to be held on July 9th.
The CEC opened a total of 664 centers opened across the West Bank today. These centers, located in each of the 290 West Bank localities where elections will be held, will be open until Wednesday, April 13th. During this process, more than 1400 employees will receive applications for registration, correction, and challenge between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m.
The CEC calls upon all eligible citizens who have not yet done so to register their names. This is the final opportunity to register to vote in the 2011 local elections. The CEC also calls upon registered voters to review the preliminary voters list, which is posted at each center, in order to verify the accuracy of their personal details and place of residence. Citizens are also able to challenge the registration of any listed person whom they believe to be ineligible to vote.
The centers where the registration, exhibition and challenge process is currently being conducted are the same as those where voter registration was recently carried out. These locations will also serve as polling centers on election day.
The exhibition and challenge period is an essential step in the electoral process. It aims to ensure that the voters list is current, correct and complete, in order to facilitate free and fair elections.
The preliminary voters list includes the names of 1,470,000 registered voters in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. According to the Central Bureau of Statistics, this figure represents 80% of all eligible citizens. The number of currently registered voters includes more than 929,000 citizens in the West Bank, about 84% of eligible voters there; and 540,000 citizens, about 73% of those eligible, in the Gaza Strip.