By Samia Farid Shihata Before last week's surprise announcement every time I asked how I might register to vote in the coming referendum and parliamentary elections I would receive the same response: how could any one be so naïve as to think their vote could count for anything? Nobody ever gave me a useful answer to my question. Now, I think it is reasonable to assume that there are a great many Egyptians asking the same question. The answer, unfortunately, remains as elusive as it was before the amendment of Article 76 of the constitution. While deliberations are underway to determine the rules governing the eligibility of presidential candidates little, if any, attention is being paid to the voter registration process. No one seems to know what is going on. I have been told that, under the current system, it is already too late to register to vote. While, when it was possible only to vote in a referendum, saying yes or no to a single candidate, this did not matter much, with multi-candidate elections I doubt that I will be alone in my dismay should it now prove impossible to register to vote. The move from a presidential referendum to direct elections provides ample justification to immediately reopen voter registration to allow as many voters as possible to take part. Obtaining a voter registration card is, now more than ever, the civil duty of each and every eligible Egyptian. A simple and transparent registration process is urgently needed, and it should be accompanied by a voter registration drive spear-headed by the media. That way we will all feel that each and every vote matters and that voting is both a privilege and a duty that must be taken very seriously. This week's Soapbox speaker is an independent economic consultant.
