Elections Commission rejects demands to vote outside registered area

After repeated complaints from people living outside their constituencies that they are not able to vote where they live, the High Elections Commission issued a statement asserting that the number of voters affected by this restriction has been largely overestimated in the media and that acceding to these demands would potentially challenge the legitimacy of the elections by allowing them to vote in more than one polling station.

There has been an outcry across the country since Monday from people who failed to cast their vote outside their constituency. With the turnout on the first day of the presidential elections lower than expected, media and public figures demanded that the elections commission facilitate these voters to increase numbers.

While those commenting on the matter put the number of voters relying on this issue at six to eight million, the High Elections Committee asserted that only 424 thousand people voted outside their constituencies during the constitutional referendum in January, when the commission allocated 84 polling stations nationwide for people to do so. However, prior to the presidential elections, the commission cancelled this option and instructed voters to register in a new location if they wished to change their constituency.

Judge Tahany al-Gebaly said in media statements on Monday that this complication would lead to the loss of nine million votes and asked the military to provide transportation for voters to get to their registered constituencies.

The commission explained in its statement that Interim President Adly Mansour issued a law to allow people to vote outside their constituencies during the constitutional referendum due to public pressure, despite the disagreement of the commission.

Some 67 thousand people responded to the commission’s instructions and changed their registered voting location, which means that only the remaining 357 thousand were potentially affected, which is according to the commission, “ a number that doesn’t warrant endangering the whole electoral process.”

The commission concluded that if those affected still want to vote, they have the option of going back to their constituencies.