Despite efforts to make Bangladesh's 2026 national election more inclusive, millions of persons with disabilities continued to face barriers to voting independently, with inaccessible polling centres, poor facilities and shortcomings in election management preventing many from casting secret and independent ballots, according to an election observation report unveiled on Sunday.
The report warned that while the Election Commission introduced several measures to improve accessibility, the electoral system remains far from disability-inclusive, leaving many voters dependent on family members or polling officials to exercise one of their most fundamental democratic rights.
Prepared under the Promoting Disability Inclusive Election Observation (PDIEO) project, the report urged the Election Commission (EC) to undertake major legal, institutional and infrastructural reforms before the next election, including introducing postal ballots for voters with severe disabilities, ensuring polling rooms are located on the ground floor and making every polling centre accessible.
The report, titled Strengthening Electoral Inclusion of Persons with Disabilities: National Election 2026 Observation Findings and Recommendations, was launched at a program organised by the Bangladesh Society for the Change and Advocacy Nexus (B-SCAN) with support from the European Partnership for Democracy (EPD).
As part of the study, 71 election observers with disabilities monitored voting at 100 polling stations across eight parliamentary constituencies in Dhaka, Dinajpur, Faridpur and Meherpur.
They also assessed accessibility at 28 polling centres and reviewed election laws and policies.
The findings paint a picture of an electoral system that still assumes every voter can move, see and access polling stations without difficulty.
According to the report, most polling centres lacked essential accessibility features, including ramps, accessible toilets, designated parking areas and proper directional signage.
In many cases, polling booths were located on upper floors, forcing voters with physical disabilities to depend on others simply to reach the voting room.
The report also found that visually impaired voters were frequently unable to vote independently because accessible ballot templates and assistive voting tools were unavailable, undermining the secrecy of their vote.
Bangladesh is estimated to have around 4.6 million persons with disabilities, although only about 3.6 million have received official disability identity cards, according to the National Foundation for the Development of Persons with Disabilities.
Several voters shared their experiences during the report launch, describing how physical barriers effectively denied them equal participation.
Deepak, a participant from Faridpur, questioned whether the Election Commission even had updated information on voters with disabilities.
"There are countless persons with disabilities in our area. We want to participate equally in society. If we continue to be excluded, we will be compelled to protest," he said.
Visually impaired voter Bhaskar Bhattacharya said he was forced to rely on his wife to cast his ballot after election officials initially refused to allow her into the polling booth.
"After a long argument she was allowed inside, but I still could not understand where my vote was actually cast," he said, adding that disability organisations had previously offered technical assistance to improve accessible voting but their proposals were not adopted.
Observers also reported procedural shortcomings.
Md Anwar from Meherpur alleged that accredited disability observers carrying official identification cards were questioned unnecessarily at several polling centres.
Presenting the report's recommendations, B-SCAN Executive Director Salma Mahbub said genuine electoral inclusion requires more than allowing persons with disabilities to enter polling centres.
She called for mandatory ground-floor polling rooms, fully accessible infrastructure and postal ballots for voters who are physically unable to travel.
"Some people will never be able to reach a polling centre because of the severity of their disabilities. Does that mean they should never be able to vote?" she asked.
The report also recommended integrating the EC's voter database with the government's Subarna Nagarik Card database to better identify and support voters with disabilities.
Among its broader recommendations, the report urged the Election Commission to revise election laws in line with the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), appoint a disability focal point within the commission, provide voter education materials in Braille, Bangla sign language, audio and accessible digital formats, and encourage greater participation of persons with disabilities as election officials, observers, political leaders and candidates.
Responding to the findings, Election Commissioner Abdur Rahmanel Masud acknowledged that shortcomings existed despite the commission's efforts to conduct a credible election.
He said the EC would examine the recommendations and implement those considered practical.
"We have received complaints that building codes were not properly followed at many polling centres. We will try to ensure ground-floor polling arrangements for everyone, including persons with disabilities," he said.
The report concludes that meaningful electoral inclusion will require structural reforms rather than isolated improvements, arguing that equal voting rights can only be achieved when every citizen is able to cast a ballot independently, secretly and without physical barriers.
