Dhaka, July 25 (V7N) - The Ministry of Law, Justice, and Parliamentary Affairs of Bangladesh has officially published a gazette notification enacting amendments to the Voter List Act, 2009, replacing it with the Voter List Ordinance, 2025. The ordinance was issued Thursday night and has come into immediate effect.
 
Under the revised law, the Election Commission (EC) is no longer restricted to publishing the final voter list only on March 2. Instead, it can now publish and update the list at any time of the year prior to the announcement of election schedules, offering greater flexibility in managing the electoral roll.
 
This significant reform is expected to benefit approximately 60,000 young eligible voters who previously would have been excluded from voting due to rigid cut-off dates. According to EC officials, the new ordinance allows the inclusion of citizens who reach the age of 18 by any date the EC declares, rather than the previously fixed date of January 1.
 
Previously, only individuals who turned 18 on or before January 1 of a given year were eligible to be listed as voters for any subsequent election in that year. For instance, in the January 7, 2024 general election, only those who turned 18 by January 1, 2023, were eligible, leaving out many who reached eligibility later that year.
 
The ordinance modifies Section 3(ja) of the original law to now read: “January 1 or any other date as declared by the Commission,” thereby legalizing the flexibility to determine cut-off dates for voter eligibility.
 
Additionally, the amendment grants the Election Commission the authority to publish updated voter lists at any time, not just between January 2 and March 2, as was previously mandated. This means that the EC can now remove deceased voters from the list and update records on an ongoing basis, rather than during a fixed revision window.
 
Another crucial provision enables the transfer of voter registration from one electoral area to another if an individual changes their residence. Under the new law, the person's name must be removed from the previous constituency’s voter list and added to that of their new area accordingly.
 
The ordinance is seen as a modernization of Bangladesh’s electoral system and is expected to strengthen transparency, accuracy, and inclusivity ahead of future national and local elections.
 
END/MRB/SMA/