The Chief Election Commissioner has fixed January 14 as the last date for receipt of applications for postal ballot papers for bye-elections in the National/ Provincial Assembly constituencies No NA-21 Mansahra-II and PF-83 Swat-IV as 14th January 2010.
According to the spokesman of the Commission, this facility, under the law, has been extended only to the persons in government service, members of armed forces, holders of public offices, their wives and such of their children as are registered voters and ordinarily reside with them provided they are stationed at a place other than the place in which their constituency is situated.
Persons detained in prison or held in other custody are also entitled to vote by postal ballot. The last date in this regard for such polling personnel and police personnel as are posted at a polling station other than one at which they are entitled to cast their vote, has been fixed as 19th January, 2010.
Persons who are appointed to act as presiding officers, assistant presiding officers and polling officers and the police personnel who are assigned duties at the polling stations, are advised to apply for postal ballot by the 19th January by which time their appointments as polling personnel are expected to have been finalised and the fact of their appointment indicated to them.
Applications for postal ballot should be made on the prescribed form with the Returning Officer of the constituency, which can be obtained from the said Returning Officer. According to the spokesman, the voters to whom postal ballots are issued will not be entitled to vote in person at the polling stations.