EC clarifies voting process for prisoners

The Election Commission (EC) has issued detailed guidelines enabling voters detained in prisons or under legal custody to cast their votes in the upcoming national election, reports UNB.

According to Rule 10A of the Election Conduct Rules 2008 (amended in 2025), inmates and detainees will be able to exercise their voting rights through the In-Country Postal Voting (ICPV) system.

The guidelines, signed by EC Deputy Secretary Mohammad Monir Hossain, were sent to the Inspector General (Prisons) on Wednesday, said a handout issued on Thursday.

Under the guidelines, the enrolment of voters detained in prisons or under legal custody will be approved by the respective authorities. Registration must be completed using the designated web portal: https://prisoner.ocv.gov.bd/login.

Prison or legal custody authorities will nominate two representatives to carry out the registration process.

After registering interested voters, the authorities will send a printed list of registered voters, duly sealed and signed, to the Election Commission.

At the same time, the nominated representatives will upload the required voter information in .xls or.csv format to the designated portal. Registered voters in prison or legal custody will receive a postal ballot envelope through the concerned authority.

The envelope sent by the EC will contain two separate ballot papers-one for the national election and another for the referendum-along with voting instructions, a declaration form, and a return envelope addressed to the Returning Officer. The guidelines mentioned that prison or legal custody authorities must ensure a suitable environment for detainees to vote.

The postal ballot papers will not contain the names of candidates; only the allotted symbols with blank spaces beside them will be printed. To facilitate voting, the authorities will provide voters with the final list of candidates, including names and symbols, for their respective parliamentary constituencies.