How to cast your vote in DUCSU, hall union elections

The elections for the Dhaka University Central Students’ Union (DUCSU) and hall unions are underway on Tuesday. Students can cast their votes from 8:00 am to 4:00 pm at eight designated centres across the campus.

The DUCSU Election Commission has released photo and video instructions to guide students on how to properly exercise their voting rights. A video documentary posted on the university’s official Facebook page shows that voters must clearly mark a cross (X) in the box beside the name of their chosen candidates on the ballot paper. Ballot papers must be inserted unfolded into the appropriate boxes.

This year, the DUCSU ballot is larger than in any previous election, spanning five pages, while the hall union ballot consists of a single page. Voting is being conducted using Optical Mark Recognition (OMR) sheets.

How to Vote

Voters can visit their designated polling centres at a convenient time. At the centre, they must confirm their identity with polling officials. First-year students may show their library card or pay-in slip, while students of other years must present their hall ID card, Dhaka University ID card, or library card.

Once verified, polling officials will mark the voter’s finger with indelible ink. The voter must then sign next to their name on the voter list and provide their voter number to the polling officer.

After receiving the ballot paper, voters enter a secret booth. Mobile phones or other electronic devices are not allowed inside the booth. Voters must locate the name and ballot number of their preferred candidate and mark a clear cross (X) in the box beside the name. Marks that go outside the box may invalidate the vote. After voting, ballot papers must be placed unfolded into the appropriate box. Two separate ballot boxes are provided—one for the central union and another for the hall union.

Voting Through Braille

For the first time, visually impaired students who can read Braille will be able to vote using the Braille system. Those unable to read Braille may vote with assistance, following the same procedure as other voters.

The Election Commission received a list of 30 students from residential halls who will cast their votes through Braille this year. The process will be supervised by Returning Officer Sharmin Kabir, Associate Professor at the Institute of Education and Research.

Sharmin Kabir said: “To conduct Braille voting, we first requested the halls to submit a list of eligible students. Seven halls submitted names of 30 students. Only those who are visually impaired and can read Braille will vote through this method. Others who cannot read Braille will vote with assistance. Polling officials at the centres will also help them.”