Ensuring No One Is Left Behind in Bangladesh’s Elections

Bangladesh is preparing for one of the largest elections in its history, with approximately 127.6 million eligible voters. From women and youth to first‑time voters and migrant families, efforts are underway to ensure every citizen can participate. Yet, for many marginalised groups, persons with disabilities, Indigenous peoples, tea‑garden workers, linguistic minorities, people in geographically remote areas, and those historically excluded, exercising the right to vote remains a challenge.

From Ballot to Belonging:

At the formal request of the Bangladesh Election Commission (BEC) and under the mandate of the UN Secretary-General, the UN launched a dedicated electoral assistance programme, led by UNDP, in collaboration with UN Women and UNESCO. Guided by the UN Needs Assessment Mission (January 2025), the BALLOT project is supporting reforms that place dignity, accessibility, and Leave No One Behind at the centre of the electoral process with the support of Australia, Canada, Japan, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom.

Where Gaps Remain

Despite more than 3 million registered voters with disabilities in Bangladesh, only about 10% were able to vote in the last national election due to inaccessible polling centres, lack of disability-friendly voter information, limited training of polling staff, and persistent social stigma. Indigenous and linguistic minority communities face exclusion as election materials are predominantly available in Bangla, with limited consideration for language diversity and cultural sensitivities. Tea garden workers and other marginalised labour communities, many living in remote areas, continue to face barriers such as long distances to polling centres, low access to voter education, low literacy, and social hierarchies that discourage free political participation. These groups remain among the least represented, underscoring the need for more inclusive electoral processes that leave no one behind.

How BALLOT Is Addressing the Barriers

BALLOT’s approach goes beyond infrastructure and introduces systemic reforms aimed at equity, dignity, and universal access. Key actions include:

National Dialogues with Marginalised Groups

Through nationwide dialogues and consultations at various levels, the project has brought together persons with disabilities, organisations of persons with disabilities (OPDs), Indigenous representatives, tea‑garden workers, election officials, CSOs, and youth to hear their voices. These consultations ensure that reforms are not assumption‑based but grounded in actual lived experience.

Collective advocacy for ensuring disability inclusion in the electoral process

To ensure disability inclusion in the electoral process, BALLOT adopted a multi-faceted way.

Recognising the importance of media in building a positive image, BALLOT, along with the campaign partners, engaged with media professionals.

Beyond media engagement, it also focused on showcasing ‘abilities’ rather than disability by arranging a cricket match for persons with disabilities, and a chess tournament involving persons with visual, speech, and hearing impairments. This not only challenged stereotypes but also promoted visibility as well as highlighted the abilities, agency, and rights of persons with disabilities.

At the policy level, UNDP partnered with BEC and Sightsaver’s Equal Bangladesh Campaign, under the BALLOT initiative, and held national consultations with persons with disabilities and asked the political parties to prioritize disability inclusion in their manifestos.

In parallel dialogues with political parties to prioritize disability rights and inclusion agenda within the election manifesto. This engagement served as a political commitment that is crucial in shaping the future development pathways of the country.

Finally, the “Ballots, Barriers and Briefs” initiative, along with collaboration with the Youth Policy Forum (YPF), identified structural and social barriers to participation and amplified youth and marginalised voices in electoral discourse.

Strengthening Information Accessibility

To ensure no one is left behind in voter education, radio outreach now features multilingual public service announcements in Bangla as well as 13 minority languages, including additional local dialects, to disseminate essential civic and voter information.

To further improve accessibility, a sign language interpreter has been integrated into all BALLOT events, television announcements, and public briefings, while audio formats, simplified text, and pictorial guides are also being developed. In parallel, community radio listening groups are being facilitated nationwide, bringing together elders, persons with disabilities, women, and members of diverse communities to engage with electoral content collectively. In tea gardens and indigenous regions, communication materials are being produced in the languages used by workers and ethnic minorities. Additionally, outreach activities were conducted in hard-to-reach and underserved areas to ensure inclusivity.

Accessible Voting Options

To make voting options accessible, the relevant partners are implementing a comprehensive outreach campaign across social media and television with different content. The supplementary messaging and production are specially tailored to encourage women and minority communities.

They also recommend including options like specialised transport on election day, postal and early voting for voters unable to travel, mobile polling teams for remote regions, including tea‑gardens and hard‑to‑reach Indigenous villages, and assistive technologies co‑designed with the Organisations of Persons with Disabilities (OPDs) to ensure privacy and dignity.

Towards Elections That Truly Leave No One Behind

Elections are not only about counting ballots, but they are also about recognising dignity, agency, and equal citizenship. BALLOT demonstrates what becomes possible when democratic processes are designed around people, especially those who have long left at the margins.

By strengthening accessibility, representation, and trust, Bangladesh moves closer to an electoral system where no community is invisible, no vote is compromised, and no one is left behind.