The Election Commission of Bhutan (ECB) started the operation of mobile postal ballot facilitation booths today for the upcoming Thromde elections. The mobile postal ballot facilitation booth service is a new initiative by the commission given the COVID-19 pandemic situation.
Teams from the ECB in Gelegphu and Thimphu Thromde started visiting the homes of the voters to collect the votes since 8 in the morning.
“We are providing services to people above the age of 65 and people living with a disability. We have contacted all of them and told them about our service. While some say they want to vote on the poll day, some are happy to have the service,” said Phub Dorji, the Head of the Department of Civic and Electoral Education at the ECB.
He said the mobile service is being provided today and tomorrow in these two thromdes. Six teams in Thimphu and two teams in Gelegphu are collecting the votes today.
While the election campaign is yet to finish, officials said, conducting the mobile postal ballot services now would not make a difference.
“We have conducted the candidate’s campaigns and debates live on television. So after broadcasting and publishing in the newspapers, I think people would have made their decision by now. We feel the decision now and on the poll day would be the same,” he added.
The commission recorded 400 mobile postal voters in Gelegphu and Thimphu who wanted to avail themselves of the service. While the commission also recorded the list of mobile postal voters in Phuentshogling earlier, the entire Phuentshogling thromde voters will now vote via the mobile postal ballot facilitation booth.
Kinley Dem
