EC Expands Voter Registration to 11 Countries, Launches 'Postal Vote BD' App for Expatriates

Senior Secretary of the Election Commission (EC) Secretariat, Akhtar Ahmed, announced today that voter registration and National Identity Card (NID) services for expatriate Bangladeshis are currently operational in 21 stations across 11 countries.

Key locations for the services include: Australia and Canada- Two stations each, United States -Four stations, United Kingdom -Three stations.

The EC Secretary stated that this service will be gradually expanded to all countries where Bangladesh maintains embassies.

Regarding the process, Ahmed noted that many expatriates already possess NIDs as it is mandatory for obtaining passports. Crucially, he announced a new mobile application, 'Postal Vote BD,' which will be launched on November 16. This app will allow those who have not yet registered as voters to do so.

For the first time, expatriate Bangladeshis will have the opportunity to cast their votes through postal ballots. To utilize this, expatriates must first register as voters (if they haven't already, provided they are 18 years or above) and then register specifically as postal voters using the new 'Postal Vote BD' app. The app is currently in its trial phase.

Finally, regarding the registration of new political parties, Akhtar Ahmed confirmed that the EC is reviewing the applications and expects to finalize the process within the current week.