Iraq to begin voter register update ahead of 2025 elections

BAGHDAD — Iraq’s Independent High Electoral Commission announced Monday that it will begin updating the national voter register on Tuesday, March 25. The process will run for one month and is a key step in preparing for the country’s next parliamentary elections.

Jumana Al-Ghalai, spokesperson for the commission, said the update includes new voter registrations, corrections, deletions, and updates, as well as the registration of displaced persons and members of the security forces.

“The Board of Commissioners has decided to launch the voter register update process on Tuesday, March 25,” Al-Ghalai said in a statement shared via the commission’s WhatsApp group. “The commission will receive voters at 1,079 designated centers across all Iraqi governorates.”

Iraq’s next parliamentary elections are expected no later than Nov. 25, 2025, in accordance with constitutional timelines. The Iraqi Supreme Judicial Council in January extended the term of IHEC’s Board of Commissioners for two years after their previous term expired on Jan. 7.

To update or correct voter information, Al-Ghalai said individuals must provide a national ID card or family record, or alternatively, a civil status ID and citizenship certificate along with a post-2020 residence card and a governorate-specific ration card.

The same documents are required to transfer a voter’s registration between governorates. For wives transferring to their husband’s governorate, personal documentation is sufficient. For unmarried children, the registration must match the father’s place of residence; if the father is deceased, the mother’s governorate may be used.

Any change to the voter’s biometric card, including name corrections, requires a court decision. Deletions from the register must also be supported by the same documents, along with a death certificate submitted by a first-degree relative.

Displaced persons must register at designated camps, except those from Sinjar district, who may register inside or outside camps based on data from the Ministry of Migration and Displacement. Al-Ghalai confirmed that displaced persons must provide documents proving their displacement or an official letter of confirmation from the ministry.

According to Iraq’s most recent census, conducted in November 2024, the country’s population stands at 46.1 million. About 70% live in urban areas, while 30% reside in rural parts of the country.