Only 7% of Prisoners Choose Postal Ballots for Upcoming Election

Registration and Voting Status: Assistant Inspector General of Prisons, Jannat-ul-Farhad, reported that while 6,313 inmates initially applied for registration across 71 prisons, 5,960 were ultimately cleared. As of last Thursday, 3,647 inmates have already cast their votes, which have been dispatched to their respective constituencies. The remaining approved voters are currently in the process of finalizing their ballots.

Rising Inmate Population and Participation Hurdles: The prison population has nearly doubled in the last 17 months—rising from 48,000 in August 2024 to 85,000 today—following a wave of arrests after the July mass uprising. Authorities noted that many inmates, particularly the 30,000 convicts, either lack National ID cards or lack interest in the postal voting system. Additionally, once an inmate registers for a postal ballot but is granted bail before the election, they lose the opportunity to vote both from prison and at a regular polling station.