The report delivered by the Electoral Observation Mission informed that in the department of Huila, there is a registration rate of 24.52% per thousand inhabitants. As of June 29, 2023, at the national level there are 879,070 registered throughout the country.
Newspaper of Huila, Huila
By: Gloria Camargo
The Electoral Observation Mission has revealed significant data on voter registration in the country over a period of eight months, from October 2022 to June 2023.
A total of 879,070 people have reportedly registered nationwide for the purpose of participating in the upcoming regional elections. These figures were obtained by comparing the ID registration rates per thousand inhabitants in relation to the adult population of each municipality.
According to the analyzes carried out by the Moe, some departments with remarkably high enrollment rates have been identified. The departments of Guainía, Meta, Chocó, Guaviare and Vaupés stand out for having departmental ID registration rates that are 1.7 times higher than the average national rate, which is 23.2 registered per thousand inhabitants.
In addition, twelve municipalities have been identified throughout the country with the highest enrollment rates. Of these twelve, five municipalities show an alarming level of atypicality in their registration rates: La Jagua del Pilar (La Guajira), Puerto Gaitán and Cabuyaro (Meta), Atrato (Chocó) and Puerto Santander (Norte de Santander). These municipalities register registration rates that are 7.1 times higher than the national rate, which indicates a situation of extreme risk.
While Moe acknowledges these unusual enrollment rates, it also cautions that they may be due to a number of factors. Therefore, they call on the competent authorities to investigate whether these rates are the product of some electoral irregularity or if they are influenced by some other external factor.
The department of Huila is ranked 21 out of 33 in terms of territorial registrations.
“It is crucial to guarantee transparency and legality in electoral processes, which is why an exhaustive review of these cases is urged,” the entity said.
regional elections
According to the Electoral Political Observatory of Democracy and the Electoral Observation Mission, Moe, in its eighth report on the process of registration of identity cards, as of June 29, 2023, the department of Huila is in position 21 of 33 in terms of territorial registrations.
In the case of Huila, a total of 19,316 registered identification cards were registered, with a projection of the adult population of 787,626, which reflects a registration rate of 24.52%.
However, this rate is lower compared to other departments in the country. Guainía leads the country with the highest ID registration rate, reaching 62.51%, followed by Meta with 45.79% and Chocó with 43.36%.
On the other hand, it was identified that the departments with the lowest ID registration rates per 1000 inhabitants are Cauca, Arauca and Nariño, with rates of 11.66%, 13.12% and 15.29%, respectively. These data are based on calculations made by the Moe, the Dane and the National Registry of Civil Status.
It is important to note that these registration rates refer to the number of people who have changed their polling place per 1,000 inhabitants in a municipality.
They do not reflect or include people who have registered their identity card for the first time, since they are automatically added to the electoral roll at a polling station close to their place of residence.
It should be remembered that in Colombia, “in national elections, historically, the rate at the end of the registration period was on average close to 79.1 citizens per thousand inhabitants, while in elections for local authorities it is much higher, since traditionally it has around 107 registered for every thousand inhabitants”.
Moe has established, however, that some of these outlier enrollment rates may be due to a number of factors.
In addition, according to the Registrar’s Office, for the 2022 national elections, “the political and social context, in addition to the ease of registering identity cards virtually, led to an increase in the registration rate compared to previous years.”
registrations
The National Registry of Civil Status has reiterated that the ID registration process will be available until July 13. To facilitate this process, 11,404 polling stations have been set up in rural and urban areas throughout the national territory.
These polling stations will be open from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm, in addition to the offices of the Registry at the national level and the more than 340 mobile registration points distributed throughout the country, which will continue to operate normally according to their usual hours.
At the offices of the Registry, the office hours are from Monday to Friday, from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., while at the mobile registration points, also from Monday to Friday, the specific hours can be consulted at the link: [URL proporcionada por la Registraduría].
It is important to remember that only those citizens who have changed their place of residence and wish to update their polling station should register, as well as foreigners residing in Colombia with at least five years of residence, who wish to participate in the territorial elections and have an identity card. of foreigners with the category of resident in current status, issued by Migration Colombia.
These numbers do not reflect first-time ID holders, as they are automatically added to a polling station close to their place of residence.
The registration period for citizens to vote in the 2023 territorial elections ends on August 29. It is important to take into account that the registration process will be reflected once the electoral census for these elections has been established, that is, after September 29, 2023. This ensures that the updates made during the registration period are reflected in correctly in the electoral registers and an adequate participation in the elections is guaranteed.