EC seeks help from women’s groups to close voter registration gap

A commissioner says there are nearly 3 million fewer female voters than males

The Election Commission has called on women’s organisations to help address social barriers that discourage women from registering as voters.

Speaking at a policy dialogue at the Krishibid Institute Bangladesh in Dhaka’s Farmgate on Sunday, Election Commissioner Abul Fazal Md Sanaullah said nearly 3 million fewer women than men appear on the draft voter list for 2025.

“In grassroots areas, especially in villages, some shyness still exists,” he said.

“In 2020, the gap was 1.1 million; in the 2025 draft list, it is nearly 3 million. Despite the gap narrowing by 1.2 million in the latest update, there are still about 1.8 million fewer women than men on the list.”

Fazal said while women often take photos for passports, some refuse to be photographed for the National Identity Card or voter list.

“Women’s organisations must play a role in raising awareness against such superstitions,” he said, noting that some women delay registering until after marriage to enrol at their in-laws’ address.

According to the draft list of 4.6 million dropped voters, there are 1,870,203 men, 2,700,762 women, and 252 transgender individuals.

The commissioner added that expatriate men may account for some of the male shortfall.

Sunday’s dialogue was part of the B-Space project funded by Democracy International (DI) and UKAid, discussing the proposed Election Campaign Funding (Women Candidate) Ordinance.

The proposal calls for a gender-sensitive public funding framework for female candidates, simplified application procedures, and strong monitoring for transparency.