529,091 expatriates, govt employees register for postal voting

A total of 529,091 voters have so far registered through the "Postal Vote BD" app to exercise their franchise in the upcoming 13th Jatiya Sangsad election and referendum, according to Election Commission (EC) sources today.

Expatriate Bangladeshis from different countries, as well as government employees engaged in election duties and those staying outside their respective voter areas, have been registering through the app.

Of the total registered voters, 497,033 are male and 32,056 are female. Among them, 462,593 are expatriates, while 66,498 are government employees deployed in election duties and staying outside their voter constituencies.

Among expatriates, the highest number of registrations came from Saudi Arabia with 132,111 voters, followed by Qatar with 49,663, Oman 36,893, Malaysia 33,981, the United Arab Emirates 26,273, the United States 23,544, Kuwait 18,309, the United Kingdom 18,133, Singapore 17,005, Italy 13,437, and Canada 10,992.

Meanwhile, 66,498 voters currently staying in the country have registered under the in-country postal voting category through the app.

District-wise, the highest number of registrations was recorded in Cumilla with 54,948 voters, followed by Dhaka 46,502, Chattogram 45,687, Noakhali 31,773, Sylhet 22,923, and Chandpur 21,428.

Besides, constituency-wise, the highest number of registrations was in Feni-3 with 8,550 voters, followed by Chattogram-15 7,874, Noakhali-1 7,586, Cumilla-10 7,380, and Noakhali-3 7,091 voters.

Talking to BSS, Salim Ahmad Khan, team leader of the Out of Country Voting System and Implementation (OCV-SDI) project, said initiatives would be taken to deliver ballots to expatriates as quickly as possible at this stage.

He expressed optimism that the number of registrations through the app would reach between 500,000 and 600,000 for expatriates, while in-country postal voting should reach at least one million.

He said all challenges, including cyber challenges, are being addressed, adding that the cost of in-country postal voting would be only Tk22, while the average cost for expatriates would be around Tk700.

The EC has asked persons engaged in election duties to register for postal voting through the app between 18 and 25 December. Voters under legal custody have been instructed to register between 21 and 24 December.

In separate messages, the EC said voters must provide correct and complete addresses as per the prevailing rules of the country of residence while registering to receive postal ballots, as ballots cannot be sent without proper addresses.

The EC has also directed all officers and employees of the Election Commission Secretariat and its field offices who are staying outside their voter areas due to official duties to complete mandatory registration by 21 December for IT-supported in-country postal voting.

Government employees staying outside their voter areas can register through the app until 25 December. Registration will remain open daily from 8:00am to 8:00pm.

On 18 November, the Chief Election Commissioner inaugurated the "Postal Vote BD" app and announced the registration schedule for voters in 148 designated countries for the 13th national election.

Expatriate voters must use the mobile number of the country from where they will cast their vote and download and install the app from the Google Play Store or App Store to register.