ERBIL, Kurdistan Region — To clarify the process for people wanting to register to vote online in the Kurdistan Region’s upcoming independence referendum, the head of the commission explained that only two documents are required.
The Iraqi ration card is required for everyone. Then voters wanting to register need to submit one of the following through the website: their Iraqi identity card, Iraqi passport, Iraqi citizenship form, or the Iraqi national card.
“People who have the ration card along with one other document can vote without any problems,” Handren Mohammed, the head of the Kurdistan Region’s High Electoral Commission (KIHEC), told Rudaw.
The food form is essential.
Mohammed explained that the “Kurdistani diaspora” cannot vote in the referendum if they don’t have the ration card , adding that even if they vote and are later found to not have the food form, their votes will not be counted.
He added this is because the comparison of the names is done in accordance with number of the ration card.
The documents collectively prove whether people outside of the Kurdistan Region and Iraq are eligible to participate in the referendum.
Citizens of the Kurdistan Region, like the rest of Iraq, received what have become known as ration card, or food coupon as it is known in Kurdistan, since the United Nations introduced the Oil-for-Food Programme in mid-1990s.
Iraq have not held a census for decades, and because of that the government relies on the ration card—part of the Public Distribution System—to determine the place of origin of the citizens.
The ration card have become so essential in the official paperworks that it became a requirement for those wishing to apply for official documents such as Iraqi passport, driving license, or the Iraqi national card.
Iraq has now introduced the national card that is aimed to issue only one official document in place of the Iraqi Identity card, residency card, and the citizenship card.
Voters abroad must meet four criteria: be at least 18-years old, have registered with the Voters’ Registration Database, have registered in the E-Voting Database, and be a citizen of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI) or Kurdistani territories that are not organized under KRI.
Registration for those in diaspora began on Friday and continues through Thursday (September 7). During this week, eligible voters can visit www.khec17.net in English or Kurdish to fill in an online registration form.
The website cannot be accessed from inside the Kurdistan Region.
Following registration, the voter will receive an activation email.
The diaspora will vote on September 23 from 12:01 a.m. to 11:59 p.m. Erbil time, two days before people in Kurdistan.
Voters in Kurdistan and abroad will be asked the same ‘yes’ or ‘no’ question: “Do you want the Kurdistan Region and the Kurdistani areas outside the administration of the Region to become an independent state?”
The vote is opposed by the central Iraqi government, which deems it “unconstitutional.” Iraqi missions abroad would not, therefore, facilitate in-person voting, another reason the Kurdistan government opted for the e-vote.
Traditional voting will take place in the Kurdistan Region and in the disputed or Kurdistani areas claimed by both Erbil and Baghdad on September 25.
The Kurdistan Regional Government's Representation in the United States has released a list of frequently asked questions regarding voting in diaspora.
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