After announcing registered voters for the 2020 election, the Mon State Election Commission (EC) found only a handful of people bothered to check that their name is on the list.

 

"People are prioritizing work for checking their name on the voter list because food is more important for them," said the secretary for the EC Thiri Mingala ward in Mawlamyine.

 

Myint Swe, headman of Mayan Kong ward in Mawlamyint city, said there was little interest in the list, which has been available to the public since July 25.

 

Names registered for the November 8 election will be viewable on boards in wards across Mon State until August 7.

 

Hein Lin Htet, deputy head of Mon State EC, said the commission has made a concentrated effort to encourage voters to confirm their names are included. "We're asking for help from the media, community-based organizations and leaders to help residents check their names on the list," he told NMG.

 

The EC said some of the names were misspelled or their parents' names were incorrect. In other cases, the registered voter's ID number was wrong or voters' names were not included.

 

If there's a mistake, the EC recommends citizens make a correction by completing a form-3 at their local election ward office.

 

According to Mon State EC, there are over 1,760,000 registered to vote in the state for the 2020 general election, including military personnel and their families. This represents an increase of over 200,000 voters over the 2015 general election, when there were 1,530,000 registered to vote.