More than 411,000 expatriate Bangladeshis have registered to vote in the upcoming 13th national election and referendum through the ‘Postal Vote BD’ mobile application, according to the Election Commission (EC). Of these, 384,928 are men and 26,161 are women. The EC extended the registration deadline until December 25, allowing citizens abroad to register from any country using the app.

Senior Secretary Akhtar Ahmed of the EC Secretariat confirmed that the app-based registration system remains open globally until December 18, with postal ballots to be sent based on the addresses provided. The EC urged registrants to ensure accurate mailing addresses to receive their ballots on time. The commission also plans to introduce an in-country postal voting system for government officials, detainees, and those stationed outside their constituencies.

The Postal Vote BD app, launched on November 18, enables registration from 148 countries. The initiative marks Bangladesh’s first large-scale digital effort to include overseas citizens in the electoral process, potentially expanding voter participation and transparency.