Over 15 lakh register to vote by postal ballot at home and abroad

More than 15 lakh people, including expatriate Bangladeshis and eligible voters within the country, have registered to vote by postal ballot for the 13th National Parliamentary Election and the referendum, the Election Commission (EC) has said.

According to EC data, a total of 1,533,682 voters completed registration through the Postal Vote BD app before the deadline, which ended at midnight yesterday (5 January).

Of them, about 772,500 are Bangladeshi expatriates, while more than 761,000 registered from within the country.

Registration for overseas voters began on 19 November for the first time through the app. Domestic registration started after the election schedule was announced.

The system allows three categories of voters inside the country to use postal ballots: officials and employees engaged in election duty, government employees working outside their own constituencies, and voters in legal custody.

Saleem Ahmad Khan, team leader of the Out of Country Voting System Development and Implementation (OCV-SDI) project, provided the registration figures.

For the election and referendum scheduled for 12 February, two ballot papers will be sent to registered voters at their given addresses.

Voting will begin after the allocation of election symbols on 21 January, and completed ballots can be returned by mail from the following day.

Voters will cast their votes by placing a tick mark on the postal ballot after checking constituency-based candidate lists, names and symbols on the digital platform.

Ballots must reach the relevant returning officer within the stipulated time; otherwise, they will not be counted.

The EC has stressed the importance of maintaining voting secrecy. It warned that sharing photos or videos of completed postal ballots on social media is a punishable offence and may lead to the suspension of the voter's National Identity Card (NID).

Election Commissioner Md Anwarul Islam Sarkar said voters must submit a declaration ensuring secrecy when voting by postal ballot.

"If the declaration is not submitted, the vote will not be counted," he said, adding that legal action, including the blocking of the NID, may be taken if secrecy is violated.

EC data show that expatriates from 123 countries registered for postal voting, with the highest number—239,186—from Saudi Arabia.

Among constituencies, Feni-3 recorded the highest number of registrations at 16,090. Cumilla district accounted for the largest number of overseas registrants, with 112,090 voters.

Within the country, the majority of registered postal voters are government employees.

The EC said about 575,200 government officials and employees, 169,642 personnel assigned to election duty, 10,010 members of Ansar and VDP, and 6,283 voters in prison registered through the app.