Sharjah: The first few days of the voter registration for the Sharjah Consultative Council (SCC) elections witnessed a “remarkable turnout” of the citizens, following the inauguration of the third round of elections, being held under the vision and directives of His Highness Dr Sheikh Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah.
The registration that opened on October 23 is to run until November 20 for a period of 29 days at nine designated election centres in the emirate’s municipalities. It can also be done online using the ‘UAE Pass’ digital ID on the ECCS Sharjah website dedicated to the purpose or the Digital Sharjah app or website.
Online registration
The registration call received a significant response from the citizens in the emirate with the percentage of electronic registration reaching as much as 95 per cent, while in-person registration stood at around five per cent.
In view of the citizens’ preference for the online registration option, the Supreme Committee for Sharjah Consultative Council Elections has decided to switch the automatic response on electronic registration channels to the Arabic language.
The registration mechanism for the SCC elections, whether in-person or electronic, requires that the voter be a citizen of the emirate and at least 21 years old - that is, the voter should have been born on December 5, 2002 or earlier.
The registration of the voter must be in accordance with his/her family registration number. The town number is linked to the administrative region to which the voter belongs within the nine electoral districts or zones - Sharjah City, Al Dhaid, Khorfakkan, Kalba, Dibba Al Hisn, Al Madam, Al Bataeh, Maliha, and Al Hamriyah.
Hybrid options
The hybrid registration options, electronic and in-person, helped make it easier for citizens to register themselves and accelerated their response to the authorities’ call to register for the third round of SCC elections and move to the next stage of the electoral process. Registration in the relevant electoral districts is the main condition for running and voting to choose half of the Council members to represent the citizens of the emirate of Sharjah and participate in the decision-making process of the emirate.
Response to Sharjah Ruler’s call
Obaid Saeed Al Tunaiji, director-general of Sharjah City Municipality, and chairman of the Sharjah City Electoral District Committee, lauded the spirited and eager response of the citizens in the emirate to the historic call of His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah, to participate in the SCC polls.
Al Tunaiji pointed out that the voter registration process in all electoral zones across the emirate has so far been remarkably smooth and accurate. He stressed that the Sharjah City Municipality is sparing no effort in providing all the facilities, infrastructure and personnel necessary to ensure the crucial stage of voter registration goes off smoothly allowing the citizens to participate in the electoral process.
The Director-General reaffirmed the keenness of the Sharjah City Electoral District Committee to provide all facilities to citizens wishing to register themselves at the Committee’s headquarters in Sharjah.
Al Tunaiji called on the citizens to register themselves at the Committee headquarters or through electronic channels to exercise their vote and take part in the decision-making process of the ‘smiling emirate’.
Ease of procedures
Mubarak Al Shamsi, chairman of the Electoral District Committee in the Hamriyah region, praised the ease and effortlessness of the voter registration right from day one of the electoral process, which reflects the tireless efforts and dedication of the authorities in the emirate. He lauded the introduction of the hybrid system of voter registration, which contributes to saving time and effort as it takes only one minute to complete the process.
Al Shamsi also hailed the keen interest and involvement of citizens in registering themselves from the first day itself through the various registration methods available. This reflects a positive response from the community and a keen interest in the electoral process throughout the emirate of Sharjah.
Al Shamsi urged the citizens to make use of the facilities made available for them and register quickly to vote. He assured all possible assistance from the Hamriyah Municipality and its staff to the citizens in the event of any obstacles during the registration process.
