How to vote in Dhaka city elections

Carrying national ID card is not a must for voting in the elections to the two city corporations in Dhaka, but doing so will help voters avoid complexities, officials say.

First of all, a voter has to find out their number and the name of the designated polling station.

On arrival at the polling centre, the voter will have to check a list to find out the designated polling booth.

IDENTIFICATION

The voter’s identity will be confirmed first in the presence of the presiding officer. The voters may have to queue for identification.

For identification, assistant presiding officers will use the voters’ smart NID cards, or the 10-digit smart NID card number, or the laminated NID card number of 13 or 17 digits, or the voter number.

The officials will check the finger print for confirmation of identity. Once confirmed, a tick mark will be given next to the voter’s name and they will be marked on a finger with ink.  

The voter will then be allowed to cast the vote.

VOTING

At a covered place, the voter will cast the votes on electronic ballots issued by the presiding officer for the posts of mayor and councillor and the councillor reserved for women.

The ballots look like tablet PCs with buttons.

There will be names of the candidates and their symbols on the electronic ballots. A white button will be there next to each candidate.

Pressing the white button next to the chosen candidate will be considered as “Select”.

To validate the vote, the voter will then press the green “Confirm” button.

The voter will be given maximum two chances to change decision after pressing the white button. The third push on the white button will be counted as “Select” in that case.

In case a wrong white button is pressed, the voter can cancel the move by pressing a red “Cancel” button.

Pressing the “Cancel” button twice will mean the voter does not want to vote for that post.

A voter’s decisions will be counted only after confirming the votes on all three ballot units.