Pakistan’s election law requires the ECP to notify and hear any voter whose name it intends to exclude or remove from the electoral roll. The Elections Act 2017 contains a provision that makes arbitrary or unnotified removal of voters from the electoral rolls unlawful.
What does the law say?
Section 40(2) of the Elections Act 2017 requires the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to afford a reasonable opportunity to be heard to any person likely to be affected before it takes action under Section 40(1)(b) — removing a person who has died or become disqualified — or Section 40(1)(c) — removing a duplicate entry. In addition to the hearing, the Commission must record written reasons for its decision.
Why does this matter?
The hearing requirement in Section 40(2) is a critical protection against both administrative error and deliberate manipulation. Without the right to be heard, a voter whose name is being removed from the electoral rolls would have no recourse until they arrive at the polling station and discover the deletion.
If you discover your name has been removed from the electoral roll without any prior notice or hearing, the Section 40(2) process was not followed. You have the right to raise this with the Registration Officer and, if necessary, the Revising Authority.
 Source: Elections Act 2017, Sections 40(1) & (2) and 43.
This post is part of FAFEN’s series on electoral literacy. Read more of this series here.
