The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has introduced the postal ballot process for eligible voters to obtain ballot papers for the upcoming general elections for both national and provincial assemblies, setting a deadline of January 22 for the submission of applications.
This initiative primarily caters to government officials, armed forces personnel, individuals in public offices, as well as their spouses and children, who reside away from their constituencies. The goal is to enable these eligible voters to cast their votes ahead of the official polling day. The eligibility criteria also extend to individuals in detention and those with physical disabilities, provided they possess a computerized national identity card (CNIC) with a disability logo issued by the National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA).
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In a statement, the ECP emphasized that the deadline for receiving applications for postal ballot papers for the general elections to the national and provincial assemblies of Punjab, Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and Balochistan is January 22, 2024. The regulator specifically urged individuals appointed by returning officers, such as police personnel and polling staff assigned to various polling stations, to submit their postal ballot applications within three days of their appointment.
Applicants are required to use the prescribed form for a postal ballot application, which can be obtained from the concerned returning officer or downloaded from the ECP’s official website. The statement emphasized that individuals receiving postal ballots are not entitled to vote in person at the polling stations.
To prevent unauthorized applications, the application should be forwarded or endorsed by the office of the voter. Once an application is received, the returning officer is obligated to send a ballot paper and an envelope to the voter by post. The envelope should include a form of certificate of posting on its face, indicating the posting date, to be filled in by the relevant post office official when the voter sends it.
After receiving their postal ballot, the voter is required to record their vote as prescribed. The recorded ballot paper should then be posted back to the returning officer in the provided envelope, ensuring it reaches before the consolidation of the results, as specified by the Elections Act 2017.
