THE Election Commission is mulling over the introduction of proxy voting in the 13th parliamentary elections. The commission thinks that proxy voting would be the most practical solution for it to implement within the time frame left before the elections. In the process, Bangladeshi expatriates could cast their vote through an authorised individual back in Bangladesh. An election commissioner is reported to have said that the commission was considering three methods 鈥� postal ballot, online voting and proxy voting 鈥� to facilitate voting for Bangladeshis living overseas. And, a committee of the Election Commission secretariat has recommended proxy voting in the forthcoming national elections as it is the only method, the commissioner says, that could be implemented in a short time. The election commissioner, who has said that the chief adviser in his address to the nation on December 16, 2024 reaffirmed his commitment to ensuring the voting right of the Bangladeshi expatriates, says that if the commission is to meet both its own expectations and those of the expatriates, proxy voting remains the most viable option. But all this does not appear what the Election Commission thinks it does.
The secrecy of the vote is the sacred aspect of democracy. Proxy voting, which may have other advantages such as less time and low cost, runs counter to this tenet in the first place. There is no secrecy of the vote between the voter and the proxy. The proxies may falsify the documents that authorise them to vote on behalf of the principal. It is also difficult to ensure that the proxies do not coerce the voters to obtain authorisation. The proxies could well decide to vote keeping to their own preferences, changing the will of the voters. Some voters may not find appropriate people to trust with their vote. Despite all this, the predilection for proxy voting of the commission lies, as the commissioner says, in the fact that postal ballots take 24鈥�40 days to reach the expatriates and online voting has not so far gained much acceptance. The commissioner also notes that not a single postal ballot vote was cast by expatriates in the 12th national elections. Although a final decision on the method to adopt is still pending some other procedures, what the commission has not considered is voting in person by expatriates arranged abroad such as in a consulate or mission. Voting in person from abroad remains the most common method along with voting by post.
The Election Commission could, therefore, go for voting in person from abroad but proxy voting is in no way acceptable as it strangles the secrecy of the vote.
