Ranchi, September 1: Ranchi will host a two-day international conference on voter registration and electoral rolls on September 2 and 3, bringing together election experts, academics, policymakers and researchers from India and abroad to discuss emerging challenges and best practices in electoral management.
The conference, titled “Voter Registration and Voter Registers 2026”, will be held at the National University of Study and Research in Law (NUSRL), Ranchi. The inaugural session is scheduled from 10 am to 11:30 am on September 2.
The event is being organised by the Office of the Chief Electoral Officer, Jharkhand, in collaboration with the Central University of Jharkhand. IIM Ranchi, NUSRL and St Xavier’s College, Ranchi, are the knowledge partners.
According to Chief Electoral Officer K Ravi Kumar, as many as 230 research abstracts were received from institutions, scholars and election academics in India and abroad. Following evaluation by the knowledge partners, 80 abstracts were shortlisted, while 57 research papers have been finalised for presentation during various technical sessions.
The conference will undertake a comparative examination of voter registration and electoral roll practices in democratic countries, with discussions focusing on voter registration, electoral roll management, digitisation, voter inclusion and democratic participation.
“A clean, inclusive, updated and reliable electoral roll is an important foundation of a democratic electoral system,” Kumar said.
The technical and academic sessions will also examine administrative, legal, social, technological and academic aspects of electoral roll management, besides practical challenges and successful practices.
Principal Secretary of the Election Commission of India Arvind Anand will be among the distinguished guests. Academics and experts from institutions including the Central University of Jharkhand, IIM Ranchi, NUSRL and St Xavier’s College are also expected to participate.
A book titled “Voter Registration and Voter Registers” and the conference souvenir will be released during the inaugural session.
Jharkhand was assigned the subject of voter registration and electoral rolls as part of an international election-related research initiative, following which the CEO’s office invited research contributions from India and abroad.
The conference will also bring together election management officials, legal experts, policymakers, researchers, journalists and civil society representatives.
“The international conference seeks to bring practical experiences in election management and academic research onto a common platform,” Kumar said.
He added that the exchange of international experiences, research and expert views would help identify better approaches to voter registration and electoral roll management.
“The findings and recommendations emerging from the conference could help make electoral management processes more effective, inclusive and reliable in the future,” Kumar said.
