EC asks ministries to promote postal vote registration among govt staff, election officials

In addition to expatriate voters, government employees living outside their voter constituencies, officials and staff engaged in election duties, and individuals in legal custody will be able to cast their votes by postal ballot in the 13th national parliamentary election and referendum scheduled for 12 February, the Election Commission (EC) said today (13 December).

To this end, the EC has written to the cabinet secretary, the principal secretary to the chief adviser, and secretaries of various ministries and divisions, asking them to encourage eligible individuals to register on the Postal Vote BD app.

According to the letter, signed by KM Ali Newaz, additional secretary to the Election Commission and project director of the Out-of-the-Country Voting System Development and Implementation Project, government officials and employees residing outside their voter constituencies, officials and staff engaged in election duties, and individuals in legal custody will be able to exercise their voting rights through postal ballots.

The EC said eligible voters must register through the Postal Vote BD app, providing a valid postal address to receive their ballot papers.

Once registration is completed, ballot papers will be sent by the Election Commission to the voter's registered address. Registration will remain open until 25 December.

The commission has requested all ministries, divisions, agencies, directorates and offices to motivate government employees who receive salaries through the iBAS++ system and are working outside their voter areas, as well as election-duty officials and employees, to register on the app and participate in the election through postal voting.

The Election Commission also said that so far 344,233 expatriates have completed registration on the Postal Vote BD app.