Postal Vote BD sparks diaspora surge as in‑country mail voting lags

Overseas Bangladeshis are showing strong enthusiasm for postal voting through the Postal Vote BD mobile app ahead of the national election, while the in‑country postal vote process remains slow. According to the Election Commission’s latest update, the participation rate and interest among expatriate voters are far higher than among voters inside the country.

The figures, updated at 9:30am on Wednesday, 4 February, are being viewed by the Election Commission as a major success for digital participation.

EC data show that 766,862 ballot papers have so far reached expatriate voters in their destination countries. Of those, 524,869 expatriate voters successfully received their ballots. A total of 472,410 have completed voting and 431,748 have deposited ballots in postal boxes. Of these, 326,020 ballots have reached Bangladesh, and returning officers have accepted 41,178.

By contrast, in‑country postal voting is moving more slowly. Of 662,191 ballots sent to registered in‑country postal voters, 170,989 have been received so far. A total of 131,691 have completed voting and 104,165 have deposited ballots. Returning officers have accepted 12,915 ballots to date.

The Election Commission said the postal ballots are being collected with strict caution, and those that reach returning officers will be added to the main count at the designated time.