KATHMANDU, NOVEMBER 20
In just two days, Nepal saw an extraordinary surge in civic participation, with two lakh citizens registering to vote after the government enabled voter registration through National ID (NID) data. Behind this sudden momentum is a coordinated effort between young civic actors and government offices, driven by a shared urgency to make voter registration simpler, faster and more inclusive.
For Pragya Thapa, an undergraduate student of Social Sciences, the journey began after the Gen-Z protests. Observing a widespread lack of political literacy, especially among youth, she joined SpeakUp Nepal to work on voter education. As registration deadlines approached, she and other volunteers witnessed thousands struggling to secure biometric appointments and standing in long queues.
"It became clear that the goals of the youth-led Gen Z protest can't be met without strengthening public awareness," she said. "We began exploring whether biometric data already collected for NID could be integrated directly into voter registration."
As frustrations grew nationwide, SpeakUp Nepal helped mobilise public support through petitions and social media campaigns, pressing the Election Commission to adopt the NID-based system. This idea would have remained a distant aspiration without government coordination, something that accelerated when Aakriti Ghimire, who was already simplifying voter information for the public, joined the Prime Minister's Office.
Her role brought together the fragmented pieces of the system. "One of the key priorities was simplifying information and making sure updates were accessible. Most government information is very jargon-heavy," Aakriti said. Her early involvement focused on verifying information, contacting officials, and coordinating requests and letters to ensure clarity for the public.
Once she entered the PMO, her work shifted sharply toward execution. She coordinated with technical teams at both the National ID office and the Election Commission to understand what was feasible, what wasn't, and how quickly changes could be deployed. "It was a lot of brainstorming and figuring out the workflow. Once we knew it was technically doable and safe, we pushed from our end through formal letters, whether requesting a deadline extension, asking for better human resource management, or suggesting integrating the two systems."
Her team urged the deployment of multiple shifts to handle the surge in applications and maintained continuous follow-ups with the Election Commission. She also sat in high-level meetings with secretaries, assisting in planning mitigation measures for inevitable technical issues. "Tech always has problems. The question is: do we have the capacity to solve them?" she said.
The fears were not unfounded. As Pragya recalled, the system initially struggled under the sudden traffic spike. "The portal started exhibiting technical failures. People reported crashes and blank forms," she said. To prevent these issues from derailing the process, the collective repeatedly informed the Election Commission and formally requested an extension, supported by public petitions.
Yet the pace of problem-solving surprised even those involved. According to Aakriti, many of the early glitches, missing photos, errors in the first or last page, failed document uploads, were resolved rapidly by teams "working day and night." More than 3,77,000 people completed their NIN verification in a short period, she said, proving that the system could handle large volumes if properly supported.
Beyond technical improvements, the new system has visibly expanded access. Removing the biometric requirement has allowed injured protesters, persons with disabilities, first-time voters, working professionals and those facing financial or logistical barriers to register more easily. "It significantly makes the process more inclusive," Pragya said.
Both women emphasized that this milestone reflects collective dedication, from young volunteers answering public queries to bureaucrats quietly working overtime. "Bureaucrats often get a bad reputation, but this wouldn't have been possible without their responsiveness and commitment," Pragya noted.
Looking ahead, Aakriti believes the system is part of a broader need to strengthen democratic practices. With discussions underway on out-of-district voting, and out-of-country voting, she sees growing momentum to make elections more accessible. But she also stresses that citizens must show up. "Our responsibility is to vote. Elections have to happen. People need time to decide who they want to support, but we must show up, and make sure people around us show up too."
Pragya shares this hope. She believes the initiative can inspire lasting institutional improvements. "There are many gaps in our existing systems. By integrating NID, we are encouraging broader civic engagement," she said. "Over time, this can lead to higher turnout and greater trust in democratic processes."
What began as a scramble to fix a broken registration process has now become a symbol of what is possible when young voices, public demand, and government offices work in sync. The surge in NID-based voter registration is a sign of a generation determined to strengthen Nepal's democracy, one registration at a time.
