Mobile Phone Ban at Polling Centers: A Concerning Decision

The Election Commission has prohibited carrying and using mobile phones within 400 yards of polling centers for the February 12 election. This is the first time such a decision has been made for national or local elections in Bangladesh.

I would respectfully like to tell the Chief Election Commissioner and all Election Commissioners: please think this through very carefully. In this era, everyone carries a mobile phone when leaving home. This is now a habit of our times. But if I want to vote in the February 12 election, I won't be able to leave home with my mobile phone. Because I have no arrangement for where to leave my mobile handset before reaching 400 yards from the polling center. Even if I have an arrangement to leave it with someone, there's no guarantee I'll get my handset back after voting. At the same time, law enforcement agencies will conduct extensive searches to check whether voters are entering polling centers with mobile handsets. I don't want to face such harassment either. Therefore, I may reconsider my decision to go vote. The lower to middle class who generally avoid unnecessary hassles will think this way. Undoubtedly, this EC decision three days before polling day will discourage a large number of voters from going to polling centers.

My profession is journalism. In addition to news gathering at polling centers, photographs go to newspapers, video reports go to TV. News media publish short videos and photo cards on social media platforms. In this era, smartphones equipped with good resolution cameras are being used more than carrying big cameras. Due to this new EC directive, journalism will naturally be restricted. From past experience, I can also say that many people performing duties at polling centers will have unclear understanding of the EC directive, and they will also obstruct television cameras from entering polling centers, leading to disorder and incidents of journalist harassment. As a result, due to the EC directive, there remains a great risk of complications regarding both video footage collection for television and live reporting. Of course, if journalism is restricted, vote theft at centers or election engineering becomes quite easy!

Perhaps it will be said, who will handle the nuisance of hundreds of mobile phones and several dozen cameras at polling centers? Now not only journalists from recognized media, but hundreds of YouTubers, TikTokers, Facebookers outside this—who will manage their mobile phones? There is a simple answer to this question. Journalists from recognized media have received cards from the Election Commission to perform duties on polling day. Therefore, I would have understood the good intention if a directive was given that "No one except Election Commission cardholders and voters can enter inside the polling center. Only cardholders journalists can take videos or photographs inside and outside the center." And instead of banning mobile phone carrying, if a directive was given that ordinary voters can keep mobiles with them inside polling centers but cannot use them, there would be no doubt or concern about such a directive. But prohibiting mobile phone carrying is certainly a matter of great concern for ordinary people. The apprehension is strong that many people will not go to vote simply because they cannot go to polling centers with mobile phones in their pockets. As a result, this will definitely have a major impact on voter turnout at polling centers overall. Suspicions of election engineering in vote casting and counting will also deepen.

I believe the EC should reconsider this decision immediately. In making any decision, the realistic one should be taken. It is reasonable not to make decisions that create adverse reactions in the public mind, decisions that are almost impossible to implement. I hope those concerned with the Election Commission will think about this matter quickly.

Rased Mehedi

Editor, Views Bangladesh