Election Commission plans extended polling hours, extra voting booths in referendum, polls

Experience from the mock trial shows voters need extra time to cast ballots, which could lead to long lines, officials say

With Bangladesh set to hold parliamentary elections alongside the referendum, the Election Commission (EC) is considering extending polling time by one hour and doubling the number of voting booths in each centre in an effort to ensure smooth voting and prevent delays in counting.

On Tuesday, Election Commissioner Anwarul Islam said a decision would be taken at the commission meeting scheduled for Sunday.

“The commission will decide on steps to ensure that both the referendum and parliamentary votes are cast correctly and counted on time,” he said.

The commission tested its preparations on Saturday with a mock election at Sher-e-Bangla Nagar Government High School in Dhaka. Observers noted that separate ballots for the parliamentary vote and the referendum caused voters to take more time, leading to longer queues.

“From the mock trial, we saw that voters need extra time, which may lengthen lines,” Anwarul said. “We are exploring how to split each polling station to double the booths for marking ballots. We are also considering extending polling hours.”

Under the existing system, voting runs from 8:00am to 4:00pm, but the commission is examining the possibility of a nine-hour schedule.

Approximately 43,000 polling stations will host 244,000 voting booths, with the usual one booth per station potentially doubled to accommodate the two ballots.

In Sunday’s meeting, the commission also plans to finalise nomination deadlines, withdrawals, and the election date, consulting the Bangladesh Meteorological Department for weather forecasts for the second week of February before officially announcing the schedule.

Read the full story in Bangla: https://bangla.bdnews24.com/bangladesh/17f9e24f64ea