THE government officers performing duties on the election day today (Feb 8) will naturally not be able to vote in their respective polling stations. That being so, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) issued a notification on Jan 3, fixing Jan 22 as the last date for filing applications for postal ballot.

Many government servants, especially those performing election duty for the first time, are unaware of such a facility, or how to make use of it. Under the Representation of the People Act, 1976, government officials and members of the armed forces are provided postal ballot papers in sealed envelopes.

Initially, the application is submitted to the returning officer (RO) of the respective provincial and National Assembly constituencies. The application form asks the person to write the serial number and electoral role along with the name of the constituency. Many people are unaware of serial number and electoral roll number, as they are not provided by the helpline.

One of the government employees, after receiving the appointment letter on Jan 27, wanted to apply for the postal ballot opportunity. The press release issued by the ECP mentioned that persons appointed by the returning officer (RO) can apply for this facility within three days of their appointment. When the employee reached the RO’s office, located in the relevant District Municipal Corporation (DMC) office, the staff refused to facilitate, and asked him to come later, as, according to them, the deadline had passed and only the RO had the power to provide the said facility.

When the government employee went to the office again, the RO was not present, and the staff, after making a few phone calls here and there, said the intended facility was not available anymore and they had already sent the lists for postal ballot to the ECP office in Islamabad. When an official was appointed on Jan 27, how was he supposed to apply before Jan 22? This argument was put across to the RO staff, but they preferred to turn a deaf ear to anything that was said to them. As far as they were concerned, the deadline had passed, and that was that.

The postal ballot facility should be extended till the day of the election, so that those performing the poll duty can exercise their right to vote, and should not be forced to miss the opportunity to have their say in deciding one’s future. The ECP needs to spread awareness about the facility, because many government officials appear to be unaware of the postal ballot option.

Muhammad Hassan Abbasi
Karachi

Published in Dawn, February 8th, 2024