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Press Release on Postal Ballot

The Election Commission of Bhutan is pleased to inform the general Public that as a part of the move to register as many as possible and facilitate them to be registered as voters in the Second Parliamentary Elections 2013, a total of 71,803 Registered Voters working in the Civil Service, armed forces, their spouses and dependents, students, trainees and essential service post holders from the corporate and private sectors were registered to cast their secret ballot through Postal Ballots with the Election Commission of Bhutan for the National Council Election 2013.

We are happy to report that we had received applications for Postal Ballot from a total of 40,701 by the Returning Officers in 20 Dzongkhags. On review of the applications forms received, the Returning Officers were able to issue Postal Ballots for a total of 31,592 applicants only.

The Returning Officers had not been able to issue and dispatch Postal Ballots to the remaining 9,174 applicants as 5,380 (59%) had been found not registered to vote by Postal Ballot. The rest 3,794 (41%) had sent incomplete Forms which did not carry vital information such as the postal address crucial for mailing of the Postal Ballot, Forms not countersigned by competent witness and had used invalid VPIC numbers.

In view of the above the Election Commission of Bhutan would like to advise that any registered postal voter who have not received Postal Ballot for the National Council election should:

  1. Plan to cast the votes during the National Council Elections 2013 at the Polling Station designated on the VPIC; and
  2. If interested, a registered Postal Voter can send application in Postal Ballot Application Form No.3 for the National Assembly Election with full and correct details once the National Assembly Elections are called.

The Election Commission of Bhutan deeply appreciates that even those who had not registered as Postal Voters were found to have applied for Postal Ballot as they probably were not aware of the requirement to first register before they could apply.

We hope they will keep up their enthusiasm and turn out to vote in person at the designated polling station on 23 April 2013.

However, if they are eligible to be registered as Postal Voter for the National Assembly Elections, they may register as Postal Voters with the ECB on or before 20th of April 2013.

(Kunzang Wangdi)

Chief Election Commissioner of Bhutan

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