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A mock voting exercise is being held in Dhaka as the Election Commission (EC) tests its preparations for the upcoming 13th national election and a nationwide referendum, both scheduled to take place on the same day in February next year.
The drill began at 8:00 am on Saturday at the Sher-e-Bangla Nagar Government High School and will continue until midday. Around 500 voters are participating in the exercise, bdnews24.com reports.
Speaking to reporters after arriving at the centre at the start of the exercise, EC Secretary Akhtar Ahmed said the voting drill was crucial for assessing the challenges of holding two major votes simultaneously.
“Since the national election and the referendum will be held on the same day, we want to gain insights beforehand so the process can run more efficiently,” he said.
He added that the EC would use findings from the exercise to decide whether additional polling booths, staff, or other logistical adjustments would be required.
Saturday’s drill includes elderly voters, slum residents, students, hijra (transgender) community members, persons with disabilities, and trainees from the Election Training Institute (ETI). Postal ballot procedures are also being tested.
The Dhaka regional officer is acting as returning officer for the mock vote, supported by two assistant returning officers. Six presiding officers, 10 polling officers across five rooms, and 20 polling agents from the EC are overseeing operations.
A multi-agency security presence, including police, Ansar, RAB, BGB, and Army personnel, has been deployed around the centre. Police are also managing traffic flow in the surrounding area.
Entry for journalists and observers is being regulated using QR codes, part of a new access control measure the EC is trialling.
Inside the centre, voters queued in separate lines for men and women.
Describing the process, a woman taking part in the drill said: “For the parliamentary election, we used a white ballot with a black mark. For the referendum, there’s a pink ballot paper with ‘Yes’ and ‘No’ options, marked with either a tick or a cross. It took me about a minute to cast my vote using the seal.”
This is the first such exercise undertaken since AMM Nasir Uddin’s commission took office in November last year. Officials say the drill will help finalise timing, staffing needs, and overall management ahead of polling day.
“Although voting on election day will only run for half a day, we need to thoroughly review how long each voter takes and what management components must be included,” Akhtar said.