Voter Registries The reliability of the countrywide and overseas voter registries created via the Address-based Population Registry System (ABPRS), the number of voters and the irregularities in voter registration are topics that lead to wide public debate in nearly all elections. Following the announcement of the voter registries, a citizen applied to AMER, and stated that an unknown voter was registered at the address of the house she owns and lives in together with her spouse. The search we Human Rights Committee conducted on the SBE voter query system confirmed that the General Comment No 25 States must take effective measures to applicant’s claims were true. ensure that all persons entitled to vote Election observers reported a similar incident on election are able to exercise that right. Where day: ‘The Voter named İ.K. found out from the registration of voters is required, it neighbourhood headmen that an unknown voter by the should be facilitated and obstacles to name of F.Ö. was registered at his address. This individual such registration should not be imposed. also had his voter card with him. The voter list at ballot If residence requirements apply to box 1360 was examined. F.Ö.’s name was on the list but registration, they must be reasonable, his home address was found to be ‘suspicious’. and should not be imposed in such a way as to exclude the homeless from the In addition to irregularities in the voter registries, there have right to vote. Any abusive interference been reports of people being deleted from the voter registry with registration or voting as well as although no change had taken place in their legal status. intimidation or coercion of voters should Indeed, an application was made to AMER by 4 citizens who be prohibited by penal laws and those went to the ballot box to cast their votes found out that their laws should be strictly enforced. Voter names were not on the voter list although there had been education and registration campaigns no change in the address at which they were registered are necessary to ensure the effective during the June 7th elections. exercise of article 25 rights by an Based on claims that many people had been deleted from informed community. the registries after the elections of June 7th in the Cizre district of Şırnak, and upon the application by 4 citizens who had been deleted from the lists, a petition was filed with the SBE asking the number of people who had been deleted from the registries after June 7 in the district of Cizre. The SBE rejected the petition on grounds that a separate examination was needed to answer the question.15 Following the rejection by the SBE, an application was made to the Right to Information Evaluation Board. The Board rejected the query on the same grounds. The system of creating voter registries using the ABPRS deprives many individuals from exercising their right to vote including the homeless, those living in tents and women in shelter homes. There is no information about the number of homeless people, their age and gender distribution16 15 See Annex II: Petitions Filed under the Law on the Right to Information In response to a petition for information filed with the Ministry of Family and Social Policies , the ministry has responded ‘we do not have a data base’ for this information 16