icegov2012 proceedings

mapping of citizens would ensure unique identity within the
system and prepare clear transparent rolls which would be now
called as CERS II.
The ECP established a project management unit comprising ECP
and IFES officials to steer and monitor this enormous task. The
ECP handed over the existing electoral rolls data to NADRA in
February 2011 for verification, updating and augmentation of
electoral rolls 2006-07 on the basis of CNIC database.
Simultaneously, the Population Census Organization (PCO)
which conducts census every five years was instructed in its April
2011 census to collect the information of the head of family’s data
on a specially designed form for preparing preliminary electoral
rolls on the basis of new census blocks as prescribed by the
Census Organisation previously and now adopted by the ECP as
revised electoral areas. These data were handed over to NADRA
offices at district level. NADRA used the data for assignment of
new census block codes after verification and augmentation of
existing electoral rolls with its CNIC data. In effect, NADRA
created a new database for the ECP from a data image of its CNIC
database but customised it along the lines of the newly defined
electoral areas. This meant further clarity and precision of voter
distribution [11].
NADRA prepared preliminary electoral rolls on the basis of new
census blocks, using CNIC as unique identifier of voters. The
ECP then conducted a country-wide door-to-door verification of
these rolls in August-October 2011. A pilot project was completed
in 60 selected electoral areas in four districts through door-to-door
verification which helped in identifying issues during field
exercise which were taken care of while rolling out the national
level verification project.
Figure 2: Digitisation flowchart of electoral rolls by the
Election Commission of Pakistan
.
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NADRA then entered the data changes on the basis of voters’ data
forms collected during door-to-door verification in light of
guidelines/business rules, using double-blind data entry
mechanism. Thereafter, the preliminary electoral rolls were
printed by NADRA and delivered to the ECP’s field offices on 23
February 2012. The ECP released the draft electoral rolls at
52,166 display centres across Pakistan for public display for
inviting claims and objections for corrections on the prescribed
forms as per existing legal framework. On 29 February, both the
paper-based electoral rolls and a unique SMS facility (explained
in the next section) to verify citizens’ voting details were launched
[8]. After incorporating the decisions of the revising authorities,
the final electoral rolls were displayed successfully in May 2012.
Thus, from 2012 onwards, the revised CERS-II can be updated
annually as originally envisaged in the constitution of Pakistan.
NADRA and the ECP plan to extend its cooperation to the next
level by updating the voter data simultaneously in the ECP
database when voters visit the NADRA offices for renewing or
changing the personal details of their CNIC.
4.2 SMS Voter Verification Application
After an extensive multi-agency collaboration in collecting the
voters’ data the ECP planned to not only announce the paperbased
results of the voters but it also launched a unique SMS voter
verification application on 29 February 2012. A widespread print
and electronic media campaign was organised and the
announcement of the electoral roll received prime coverage on all
leading television channels, given the loaded political atmosphere
with the impending 2013 elections. With regard to geographically
isolated and rural areas, these campaigns were chiselled with the
ECP conducting radio spots in six local languages to advertise the
publication of the electoral rolls and the SMS verification
application.
Figure 3: Sample of return SMS with voter registration
details
.
The SMS application requires a voter to text her/his unique CNIC
number to a short code ‘8300’. Irrespective of the mobile network
operator, the voter is charged, Rs. 2 (USD 0.02) and a reply SMS
in the national language Urdu is received, showing the CNIC
number, electoral area name, block code, tehsil/district and serial