32,811 Expatriates Registered to Vote via Postal Ballot

Expatriate Bangladeshis living abroad will be able to vote via postal ballot for the first time in the upcoming Thirteenth National Parliament election and referendum.

According to the Election Commission’s (EC) website, by 8 pm on Tuesday, a total of 32,811 expatriate voters from East Asia, Africa, South America, North America, and Oceania registered through the ‘Postal Vote BD’ app.

Among the registrants, 28,516 are male and 4,295 are female voters.

Country-wise registration shows 8,558 in South Korea, 5,792 in Japan, 4,487 in the United States, 3,656 in South Africa, 2,958 in Australia, 2,758 in Canada, and 1,555 in China.

Senior Secretary of the EC Secretariat, Akhtar Ahmed, said that facilitating voting for expatriate Bangladeshis is a significant step in the country’s electoral history. Additionally, in-country postal voting (ICPv) has been introduced for government officials participating in the election process, voters under legal custody, and government employees away from their home constituencies, benefiting approximately one million voters.

On 18 November, the Chief Election Commissioner inaugurated the ‘Postal Vote BD’ app and announced the voter registration schedule for 148 designated countries for the Thirteenth National Parliament election.

The first phase of registration, from 19 to 23 November, was for expatriates in East Asia, Africa, and South America. The next phases are: 24 to 28 November for North America and Oceania; 21 November to 3 December for Europe; 4 to 8 December for Saudi Arabia; 9 to 13 December for South and Southeast Asia; and 14 to 18 December for other Middle Eastern countries.

Expatriate voters must use the mobile number of the country from which they will cast their vote. They need to download and install the ‘Postal Vote BD’ app from Google Play Store or App Store.

Users can choose Bengali or English in the app and access the necessary documents and instructions for registration. Providing an accurate address is essential to ensure receipt of the ballot abroad.

Khaborwala/TSN