Since voter registration began a few weeks ago in preparation for next year’s municipal elections, all indications are that the public response has been disappointing. Reports coming from polling stations at which only Saudi men may register to vote say that the numbers registering were low. No one wished or expected to see such a discouraging response from the public for something as important as an election. Low registration numbers may be because elections are new to the Kingdom’s people and they need more information about both the philosophy and the mechanisms behind voting for candidates. Nonetheless, this alone cannot justify the low numbers of voters who registered.
What can be done about the situation? In my opinion, the best solution would be to make registration as well as the actual voting compulsory; this would mean that every eligible citizen would have to be involved. Of course, there is an entity known as individual freedom; this means that it is up to every citizen to decide whether to vote or not to vote.
Since we are experiencing elections for the first time, however, and given their significance, the whole process should be handled with a considerable degree of seriousness. Registration and voting should have been mandatory; once the public is aware of the importance of elections, they will vote happily in future.
A great deal of effort has been made which aims to enlighten the public and explain what elections mean to the future progress of the country. Not everyone of course reads the papers or watches television. The sense of civic responsibility may not be strong enough to drive people to join willingly in the registration process.
Obliging people to take part in elections is the usual custom in many nations. I remember when I was visiting a neighboring Arab country during a presidential election that it was mandatory for everyone to register and vote. No one could buy an air ticket to leave the country or finish any business with a government department unless their identity cards had been stamped. Why not use a similar system for our own elections? Those in the future could then be carried out in a free and democratic atmosphere.
