The number of registered postal voters is high this time compared to past Thromde elections. According to the Election Commission of Bhutan (ECB), over 1,500 voters have registered for the postal ballot for the upcoming Thromde election. This is because the ECB lifted the eligibility criteria to register for the postal ballot.
Thimphu thromde has the highest number of voters who have registered for the postal ballot with nearly 840. And Gelegphu thromde has more than 460 and Phuentshogling thromde with some 230 postal voters.
According to ECB officials, the number of postal voters this time is high due to new initiatives by the commission. In the earlier elections, not all the registered voters were eligible for postal ballots.
“Earlier, for someone to be eligible for the postal ballot, there are some criteria. It was limited to civil servants, armed forces, students and trainees. But now, if a business person who is an eligible voter of Thimphu is in Punakha, he can vote from there. However, one has to be registered,” said Phub Dorji, the head of the Department of Civic and Electoral Education with the ECB.
According to the ECB, this is to avoid the movement of people amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
He added that the commission has also started a mobile postal ballot for people above the age of 65 and people living with disabilities.
“Globally, the health experts have said that elderly people above the age of 60 are at higher risk of contracting COVID-19. Therefore, we have contacted all those eligible voters above the age of 65 that we would be coming to their place to receive their votes. But some said they are healthy and can come to cast their vote. Similarly, we have contacted people living with disabilities to provide the service at their doorstep,” added Phub Dorji.
There are about 470 registered postal voters for the mobile postal ballot. And some 820 people registered for the conventional postal ballot.
More than 240 people from overseas have also registered for postal ballot. Australia has the highest number of voters at nearly 140 followed by 25 voters from India.
There are over 10,400 voters in the three thromdes for the upcoming election. Thimphu thromde has over 8,000 registered voters followed by Gelegphu thromde with more than 1,500 and Phuentshogling thromde has nearly 930 voters.
Kinley Dem
