Register now!

By Samia Farid Shihata

---

I wonder how many noticed the tiny item in Al-Ahram newspaper some time ago informing readers of the mid-February deadline for voter registration. Very few, I'd wager. The unobtrusiveness of the notice gives the impression that the authorities would rather everyone stayed home. How else is one to interpret this minuscule posting hidden in an obscure section of the national newspaper?

Is it beyond the government's capacity to place large attractive notices on the front pages of Egypt's main newspapers as well as on national television urging eligible citizens to register before the looming (and by the way, irrational) deadline? Would it not make sense for the government to translate its bombastic rhetoric about democracy and citizen participation into meaningful action by spearheading, in conjunction with civil society, a serious voter registration drive unimpeded by artificial deadlines?

And if the government is too busy to do that, why aren't the so-called political parties and NGOs actively directing a voter registration drive themselves? Why aren't they calling for year-round voter registration instead of this inexplicable limit of two months a year? This irrational system was okay when everyone was convinced that voting didn't matter anyway. Things are clearly different now, even with the regrettable violence and fraud that marred the recent parliamentary elections.

The shamefully low voter turnout in those elections meant that a mere third of registered voters -- who are themselves only a fraction of the citizens eligible to vote -- determined the character of the parliament entrusted to enact legislation reforming the Egyptian political system. Surely this is a wake-up call to all concerned citizens wishing to have a say in the country's future. It should be clear to all by now that it was a big mistake for the government not to re-open voter registration before the first ever presidential elections, or at least before the parliamentary elections that followed it.

But it's no use crying over spilt milk. It is time to take action without delay to improve the situation. Local elections are coming up. Will we once again fall victim to complacency and simply lament pitiful turnout after the event? Or will we instead take the necessary steps to ensure that every citizen has the opportunity to exercise his fundamental right to vote?

This week's Soapbox speaker is an independent economic consultant.