Bangladesh weighs Tk 4 billion price tag against uncertain turnout in expat postal vote

The Election Commission is moving ahead with an ambitious plan to allow expatriates to vote by post — but at an estimated cost of nearly Tk 4 billion, questions are being raised over whether the investment will bring in enough votes. The plan includes developing a new app, “Postal Ballot BD,” alongside extensive logistical arrangements such as sending and receiving ballots overseas, issuing National ID cards abroad, and training election officials. Officials say the initiative aims to bring around one million Bangladeshis living overseas into the voting process ahead of the February election. So far, around 50,000 applications have been submitted across 17 missions in 10 countries, with nearly 18,000 expatriates confirmed as voters. But experts warn that despite the...