Al Mezan Recognizes the Efforts of Elections Committee and Calls on Committee to Consider Further Extension of Process

Updating of voter records in the Gaza Strip commenced on Monday 11 February 2013 and continues at registration centers through 18 February 2013.
The Al Mezan Center for Human Rights notes high attendance rates after a slow uptake.
Given the surge in participation in the last few days, the Committee has decided to extend the efforts an extra two days.
Al Mezan welcomes the Committee’s efforts and urges further extensions if voter attendance continues and the percentage of voters is not yet at 95% of the expected number of eligible[i] candidates.
An extension will also give those people who were unable to wait in the long registration lines to return to the schools to register or update their information.
The UNRWA schools are particularly small and reportedly a number of eligible candidates left due to the queues.
Al Mezan recognizes the steps made by the Committee in preparing for voter update and registration, a process which had previously been obstructed for political reasons.
The Committee, along with the participation of nongovernmental organizations, also conducted an awareness campaign to encourage participation.
Al Mezan notes the following points, relating to the criteria requested and the manner of registration employees on the sites, indicate errors made and are in turn areas needing improvement: Distinctions made within the family unit in a priority system, differentiating between immediate and extended family members.
Lack of women employed at centers to enable ID photo checks against the card holder.
Registration and update prevention due to overcrowding of small centers, and inability to locate centers due to lack of signage.
Cases of lack of enforcement of ID requirement.
Al Mezan’s observers also noted violations from other local observers; these interventions hindered the process by causing delays.
Some local observers insisted on checking the ID cards of people registering and creating a parallel record to the main formal records already being established.
Al Mezan asserts that updating voter records is an obligatory commitment to the electoral system and in addition, publishing names of voters ensures social, comprehensive, and accurate observation.
The voting procedures and required criteria, including examining the identity of voters, veiled and not, ensures the honesty of the electoral process.
Although Al Mezan is overall convinced by these guarantees, it asserts the importance of taking into consideration the above mentioned comments which were noted as complaints at registration centers.
Al Mezan emphasizes the large attendance in the last few day as a vital clue for the importance of further extension.

[i] Eligibility to vote begins at age 18