So Far 21,508 Postal Ballots Reached Bangladesh

For the first time, the Election Commission (EC) has introduced an IT-supported postal voting system, enabling voters to register online and cast their votes through postal ballots. Taking advantage of this facility, more than 1.53 million voters have registered via the postal voting app, over half of whom are expatriate Bangladeshis. According to the Bangladesh Election Commission, as of 10:30 am on Tuesday, January 27, a total of 21,508 postal ballots had reached Bangladesh.

Meanwhile, as in the 12th parliamentary election, President Md. Sahabuddin will also cast his vote through a postal ballot this time. EC Secretary Akhtar Ahmed said on Tuesday that the Election Commission has already been in contact with the Office of the President regarding the matter.
“His Excellency the President has expressed his intention to vote by postal ballot. Necessary arrangements will be made through registration on the app,” the EC Secretary said.

After registration, the postal ballot will be sent to the Head of State by mail, Akhtar Ahmed added.

In a press release issued on Tuesday, January 27, the Election Commission stated that following registration by expatriate voters, a total of 766,862 postal ballots were dispatched to different countries. Of these, 493,920 ballots were received by expatriate voters, and 425,788 voters have already cast their votes.

Among them, 370,322 completed ballots have been deposited at respective country post offices or mailboxes. Expatriate voters are sending the completed postal ballots through the postal services of their respective countries. These ballots are then forwarded by the postal authorities to the concerned returning officers in Bangladesh. The postal ballots will be counted on the day of the national election, and the results will be announced accordingly.

Through the ‘Postal Vote BD’ app, in addition to expatriate Bangladeshi voters, three categories of voters within the country have registered for postal voting. These include individuals engaged in election duties, government employees working outside their registered constituencies, and voters under legal custody (in prison). All of them are eligible to vote through the postal ballot system.

For the upcoming election scheduled for February 12, a total of 1.53 million voters—including government employees, inmates, members of law enforcement agencies, and expatriates—have registered to vote by postal ballot. The Election Commission has stated that postal ballots must reach the respective returning officers by 4:30 pm on February 12; otherwise, they will be considered invalid.

DBTech/SM/DD/OR