Voter Education Shortcomings Cited as Invalid Vote Rate Rises in Myagdi Polls

Myagdi. In the House of Representatives election, seven percent of votes were invalidated under the first-past-the-post system and three percent under the proportional representation system in Myagdi, according to the Office of the Chief Returning Officer. A total of 3,176 votes were invalidated under the first-past-the-post system, and 1,710 under the proportional representation system.

The rate of invalid votes for both systems has increased compared to the 2079 BS (2022 AD) elections. In the election held on Thursday, Falgun 21, 46,336 votes were cast under the first-past-the-post system, of which 43,160 were declared valid. For proportional representation, 47,261 votes were cast, with 45,906 declared valid, stated District Election Officer Bimal Gautam.

In the House of Representatives election held in 2079 BS, 49,699 votes were cast under the first-past-the-post system, with 4.2 percent or 2,085 votes invalidated and 47,614 votes declared valid.

Records from the District Election Office, Myagdi, show that for the proportional representation system in the previous election, 50,378 votes were cast, with 5.25 percent or 2,646 votes invalidated and 47,732 votes declared valid.

Lack of voter education has been identified as the main reason for the increase in the rate of invalid votes. Although the District Election Office, Myagdi, mobilized volunteers in all 45 wards to conduct voter education programs, they were found to be ineffective.

The rising rate of invalid votes is also attributed to political party leaders, cadres, and supporters failing to focus on voter education. Election Officer Gautam stated that votes were invalidated due to reasons such as marking more than one symbol on the ballot paper, stamping in the wrong place, or submitting blank ballots. Out of 86,397 registered voters, 54 percent cast their votes.