So far, 70,660 expatriate Bangladeshis have registered for the country’s first postal voting system, which will allow them to vote in the upcoming 13th Jatiya Sangsad election and referendum.
According to revised numbers posted on the Election Commission’s (EC) website, 70,660 expatriate voters had registered via the “Postal Vote BD” app as of 11:30 am on Friday (Friday). There are 59,510 men and 11,150 women.
The United States has 14,236 registered voters, followed by South Korea with 9,075, Canada with 7,087, Japan with 6,452, Australia with 6,027, and South Africa with 4,480.
Meanwhile, voter registration in Saudi Arabia and six other nations has been briefly suspended owing to incorrect or incomplete address information in the newly introduced “Postal Vote BD” app, but the Election Commission (EC) expects the service to resume on Friday.
Md Ruhul Amin Mallik, Director (Public Relations) and Information Officer at the EC Secretariat, told BSS on Friday that attempts were being made to reinstate registration services in the seven nations by the end of the day.
On Thursday, EC Secretariat Senior Secretary Akhtar Ahmed and Team Leader of the OCV and SDI Project Brigadier General (Retd) Salim Ahmad Khan told journalists that around 2:30 am the previous night, expatriate voters in seven countries, including Saudi Arabia, were unable to correctly enter their addresses.
They stated that ballot papers must be supplied to exact addresses written in English with proper postal codes. Many users entered incorrect or partial information in mandatory fields, causing the EC to temporarily halt the registration process. They said expatriates would be notified via embassies and other channels to provide correct address information.
They further stated that the system was established so that expatriate voters may register on Friday, their weekly holiday overseas. “Inshallah, we are trying to reopen the app on Friday,” they told me.
The EC has now launched an app-based registration process for expatriate voters in all countries throughout the world.
According to a press statement published by the Election Commission on Wednesday night, from 12:01am Bangladesh time on November 27 to 11:59pm on December 18, the registration process for expatriate voters via the “Postal Vote BD” app would be open worldwide.
The EC Secretariat Senior Secretary stated that once the app was published on November 18, the global expatriate population was first separated into eight areas, each with its own five-day registration session. However, the ban has been relaxed for the convenience of expats.
He stated that expatriate Bangladeshis can register from anywhere in the world at any time starting November 27.
The Chief Election Commissioner launched the app on November 18 and announced the registration schedule for 148 designated countries for the 13th Jatiya Sangsad election.
To cast a postal ballot, an expatriate voter must provide the cellphone number of the nation from which they would vote. The voter must download and install the “Postal Vote BD” app from either Google Play or the App Store.
Users can choose between Bangla and English and then examine the registration materials and instructions. Accurate addresses are required to secure delivery of ballot papers abroad.
