Ballots to be mailed to expats globally ahead of elections

In a landmark move to enfranchise its vast diaspora, the Bangladesh Election Commission has unveiled its first-ever IT-assisted postal voting system — allowing millions of expatriate citizens to cast ballots in the upcoming national election from abroad.

Under the new initiative, registered overseas voters will receive ballot papers and pre-addressed return envelopes by post at their residential addresses across the globe from Kuala Lumpur to Kuwait, Toronto to Tokyo, Dubai to Dhaka (expat hubs). Voters can complete their ballots at home and return them via postal service to designated counting centres in Bangladesh.

Election Commissioner Md. Anwarul Islam Sarkar announced the details during a high-profile voter outreach meeting held Sunday in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, a key hub for Bangladeshi expatriates. 

The session was chaired by Acting High Commissioner Mosammat Shahanara Monika.

“This is the first time in our history that expatriates will have the opportunity to vote in a national election,” Commissioner Sarkar declared, paying tribute to the martyrs of the 1971 Liberation War and the 2024 mass uprising. “The Election Commission is fulfilling its duty to the people, no matter where they reside.” 

The process begins with a mobile app-based digital registration system, allowing expats to verify their identity and register as overseas voters. Once registered, the Commission will dispatch physical ballot kits, including a secrecy envelope and a tracked return envelope, directly to each voter’s declared overseas address.

To ensure transparency, voters will be able to track their ballot’s status online, from dispatch to receipt and counting, creating an auditable, accountable chain of custody.

Acting High Commissioner Monika pledged full institutional support: “This initiative is timely and transformative. Our mission will launch targeted awareness campaigns and provide hands-on assistance to help expats register and vote.”

At the conclusion of the event, Commissioner Sarkar personally distributed smart National Identity Cards (NIDs) to expatriates — a critical prerequisite for registration. He fielded questions from journalists and community leaders, assuring them of the Commission’s readiness to troubleshoot any challenges.

The event, coordinated by First Secretary (Press) Sufi Abdullahil Maruf, was attended by leaders of Bangladeshi socio-cultural organisations, professionals, students, journalists, and High Commission staff marking what Maruf called “a historic step toward direct, digital democracy for our global citizens.”