Bangladesh Election 2026: How people living outside nation can cast vote in first polls after Hasina’s ouster

Who is eligible to vote by postal ballot?

A total of 767,142 expatriate Bangladeshis from 122 countries have registered to vote through the EC’s digital postal voting system. Among them are 204,836 women, the EC said.

Saudi Arabia recorded the highest number of registered voters (239,186), followed by Malaysia (84,293) and Qatar (76,139).

At the constituency level, Feni-3 had the highest number of registered expatriate voters (16,124), followed by Chattogram-15 (14,316) and Cumilla-10 (14,007).

Inside the country, another 761,138 voters have registered for in-country postal voting. This group includes:

• Government employees on election duty (575,200)
• Election duty personnel (169,643)
• Ansar and VDP members (10,010)
• People in custody (6,285)

These voters will receive their ballots after January 26, the EC said.

How the digital postal voting system works

The Bangladesh EC launched the Postal Vote BD app on November 18, allowing non-resident Bangladeshis to register digitally and vote. Registration opened the next day and closed on January 5.

The chief election commissioner said around 1.3 crore Bangladeshis live abroad, adding that the initiative aims to ensure they can take part in elections.

Postal ballots for expatriates for both the national election and the referendum were dispatched by January 8. Voting by expatriates began on January 21, after symbols were allocated by returning officers.

Ballot papers include 118 symbols representing registered political parties and independent candidates. The Awami League’s boat symbol is not included, as the party’s registration remains suspended. A “No” option is also printed on the ballot.

What expatriate voters see on their ballots

Brigadier General Saleem Ahmad Khan, who heads the EC’s Out of Country Voting System Development and Implementation Initiative, said expatriate ballots do not include candidates’ names.

“Candidates’ names will be added to postal ballots along with electoral symbols only for voters registered inside the country, not for expatriates,” he said.

He urged voters to send their ballots without delay. “Postal Vote BD registered voters should cast their ballots promptly and submit the yellow envelope at the nearest post office or mailbox,” he said.

When and how postal ballots will be counted

According to the EC circular, returning officers (ROs) must receive and store postal ballots securely.
A presiding officer, along with polling staff, will be appointed to count the postal votes. The counting will take place in the presence of contesting candidates or their authorised agents.

After counting, the presiding officer must prepare a signed statement of the results and submit it to the returning officer immediately.

If a ballot does not reach the RO by 4:30pm on February 12, it will be excluded from the count.

When a postal ballot will be rejected

A postal ballot will not be counted if:

• No tick or cross mark is placed against any symbol
• Marks appear against more than one symbol
• The mark is unclear
• Any sign other than a tick or cross is used
• The voter’s declaration is unsigned

If a voter casts a valid vote for either the election or the referendum, that part of the ballot will be counted even if the other part is invalid.

Votes cast before a court order adds new candidates to the race will not be counted for those candidates, the EC said.

How postal votes could affect results

With over 1.5 million postal voters, election officials say the ballots could play a role in close contests, particularly in constituencies with large expatriate populations.
For many voters, the wait has already begun.

“I sent back the ballots and am now waiting for the results,” said Fahmida Rahman, a Bangladeshi living in the United States.

Expatriate voters and in-country postal voters will now watch closely to see how their ballots are counted on election day.