In preparation for the upcoming PLC elections the CEC completed an additional registration, exhibition and challenge campaign from the 13th through the 17th of this month to prepare for the final Voters List.
The campaign provided eligible voters who had not registered in previous registration drives with a final opportunity to register to vote. It also provided registered eligible voters with a final opportunity to amend their personal information on the list or to submit challenges with respect to the personal information of other registrants.
Arrangements and Preparations
During the campaign, the CEC operated 993 registration, exhibition and challenge centers throughout Palestinezzz*zs 16 electoral districts. The centers opened from 8 am until 4 pm daily, including Independence Day, 15 November. More than 2000 registration officers were hired to staff the centers.
A broad CEC voter education campaign was also conducted during the same period. The campaign included voter education ads in national and local media outlets as well as the use of mobile "media" vans to encourage eligible voters to register.
Following the conclusion of the registration campaign, completed registration forms were sent to the CEC Data Entry Center where the information of newly registered eligible voters and requests for amendments of existing information were incorporated into the existing Voterszzz*z List.
Number of Registrants
Overall, the registration campaign was a success with the addition of 10,420 new eligible voters to the Voterszzz*z List and the submission of 633 applications for amendments to existing records.
Registration Eligibility
According to the Elections Law No. 9 of 2005, eligible registrants should:
- Be 18 years of age or older on polling day.
- Be residents of the electoral district in which they wish to register.
- Not have been deprived of their electoral right by virtue of a final judiciary decision; or declared incapacitated by a final judicial ruling; not have been charged with high treason and not rehabilitated as per the provisions of the law.
- Not have acquired Israeli citizenship.
All voters should carry the necessary documents that prove their identity and Palestinian nationality such as their ID cards, birth certificates, foreign passports, or certificate indicating that they were born to Palestinian parents from the Ministry of Interior. IDs or birth certificates can also be used to prove their age. Residency may be proven either though ID, a property ownership deed, tax receipts, or a testimony by three witnesses.
It is still permitted to register by proxy by a family member of the first degree, or by a special power of attorney.
It is worth mentioning that the number of eligible registrants during previous registration drives exceeded 1,340,000 eligible voters.