Ensuring Ballot Beyond Borders

The move of the Election Commission to test voting by Nepalis living overseas for the election to the House of Representatives scheduled for March 5 has raised hope and interest in Nepal's diaspora of participating in polls. Gen Z youth have been pressing for voting rights for Nepalis living abroad. In fact, the government and the EC are considering four options such as in-person voting through embassies, online voting via a secure portal, postal voting, and proxy voting. Of them, in-person voting seems most likely to be tried first. Officials say that this would be the most manageable option to start with, though it involves tight coordination with host governments, security arrangements, and transportation of election materials from Nepal. While online voting could be more hassle-free, it can create some problems regarding cybersecurity and verification of voters. Higher cost and delays can prove problematic to postal voting and proxy voting can prove to be risky for voters’ privacy. Despite such practical obstacles, the EC has intended to start a pilot project in 10 to 15 countries where there are approximately 5,000 to 10,000 eligible voters.