Check Your Vote and Polling Station in Pakistan: 8300 and Form-28
SMS your CNIC to 8300 for your block code, then find your polling station in the ECP Form-28 list. Form 21 transfers, postal ballot and the NA-168 result.
Send your CNIC number, with no dashes or spaces, by SMS to 8300. The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) replies with your electoral area, block code and serial number. Then find your block code in the ECP's Form-28 list for your constituency. That list names your polling station.
Most people stop after the SMS. That is where they get stuck on polling day, holding a block code and not knowing which school to walk to. The second step fixes that.
We read the ECP's own pages on 28 September 2026, including the files for the NA-168 Bahawalpur-V by-election held a day earlier. Its Form-28 lists 292 polling stations for 483,143 registered voters, and each station is matched to the block codes it serves.
SMS your CNIC to 8300 to check your vote
Type your 13-digit CNIC number without dashes or spaces and send it to 8300. The ECP runs this service with NADRA, the national ID authority, and it has worked since 28 February 2012. The reply gives three details you need.
The ECP's check page says the automated reply carries these three things:
| In the reply | What it means | Why you need it |
|---|---|---|
| Electoral area | The named area where your vote is listed | Tells you which area's list has your name |
| Block code | A census block number for your part of that area | Finds your polling station in Form-28 |
| Serial number | Your line number on the voter list for that block | Polling staff find you fast with it |
| No record found | Your vote is not on the roll | Register with Form 21 before the rolls close |
Save the reply, and write the block code on paper too. The registration side, with eligibility rules and the forms, is set out under checking voter registration in Pakistan.
Your block code leads to your polling station
For each election, the ECP publishes a Form-28, the final list of polling stations for every constituency. It shows each polling station and the census block codes it serves. Find your block code in that list, and the station next to it is yours.
We opened the Form-28 for NA-168 Bahawalpur-V to see how it works. Each row gives the polling station's number and name, the electoral area, the census block code, and how many men and women are assigned to it. Some stations are for men, some for women, and some are combined.
- Send your CNIC to 8300 and note your block code.
- Open the ECP website and go to the page for your election, such as by-elections or local government elections.
- Open the Form-28, the final list of polling stations, for your constituency.
- Search the list for your block code. Use the find option if it is a text PDF, or scroll if it is a scan.
- Note the polling station name and number next to it, and check whether it is for men, women or both.
Check for changes a few days before the poll. Some lists get a correction after publication. For NA-168, a corrigendum from the District Returning Officer changed one polling station after the list came out.
If you cannot open the file, call the ECP's automated helpline on 051-8848888, which runs 24 hours a day. You can also visit your District Election Commissioner's office, which keeps the final voter list.
Register or move your vote with Form 21
If 8300 finds no record, or your vote is still at an old address, fill Form 21. The same form registers a new vote and transfers an old one. Hand it in with a copy of your CNIC at the District Election Commissioner's office. The forms are free.
The ECP's registration page lists three forms:
- Form 21: registration of a new vote, or transfer of a vote to another area.
- Form 22: an objection to someone's vote, or deletion of a vote.
- Form 23: correction of your details on the list.
You can also submit them to your district's Registration Officer. You must be a Pakistani citizen, at least 18, and hold a NADRA identity card.
One rule surprises people. The ECP says a NADRA card counts as valid for registering and for voting even after it expires. So an expired CNIC does not stop you voting, though you should still renew it for everything else.
Postal ballot is for voters who cannot reach the station
Some voters can vote by post instead of at the polling station. The ECP allows it for government servants and armed forces staff posted away from home, their families living with them, some persons with disabilities, and prisoners. You must apply before a deadline.
The ECP's notice for the NA-168 by-election, dated 25 August 2026, spelled out who qualifies:
- Government employees and armed forces officers and soldiers, plus their wives and children living with them, if they are registered voters living outside their constituency.
- Persons with disabilities who cannot travel and hold a NADRA identity card with the disability logo.
- Prisoners and people in custody.
- Election staff, including police, posted by the Returning Officer, who must apply within 3 days of being posted.
The application goes to the Returning Officer of the constituency on the set form, which is on the ECP website. Your office or department must attest it. Once you get a postal ballot, you cannot vote at a polling station. For NA-168 the last date to apply was 9 September 2026. A special CNIC with the disability logo is what the ECP asks for.
NA-168 Bahawalpur-V voted on 27 September 2026
The NA-168 Bahawalpur-V by-election was held on 27 September 2026. The provisional result on Form-47, signed by the Returning Officer on 28 September, shows Munir Iqbal of the PML-N ahead with 87,789 votes. Turnout was 29.46 per cent.
Form-47 is the provisional count. The final consolidated result comes later. The form shows:
- Registered voters: 483,143 (248,529 men and 234,614 women).
- Votes cast: 142,320, of which 140,847 were valid and 1,473 were rejected.
- Munir Iqbal, PML-N: 87,789 votes.
- Wali Dad Cheema, independent: 39,888 votes.
Twenty candidates contested. The same ECP page holds files for PS-30 Khairpur-V, polled on 16 August 2026, and PP-167 Lahore-XXIII.
Local government elections in Punjab and KP have no date yet
No schedule has been issued for local government elections in Punjab or Khyber Pakhtunkhwa as of 28 September 2026. The ECP is consulting Punjab on a date, and it has tendered for election material for 23 KP districts.
At a meeting on 20 August 2026, the ECP consulted a Punjab cabinet committee on the poll date, according to the ECP's press release. The Punjab side suggested holding the elections between 15 December 2026 and 15 January 2027, in phases. That is a proposal, not a schedule.
For KP, the ECP has tendered for material for local government elections in 23 districts, with no polling date yet. When a schedule comes, the same 8300 check and Form-28 lists will apply.
Common questions
How do I check my vote by SMS?
Type your CNIC number without dashes or spaces and send it to 8300. The reply gives your electoral area, block code and serial number.
Does the 8300 reply tell me my polling station?
No, it gives your block code. Match that code in the ECP's Form-28 list of polling stations for your constituency to find the station.
What if 8300 says my vote is not registered?
Fill Form 21 and submit it with a copy of your CNIC at your District Election Commissioner's office. The form is free.
Can I vote with an expired CNIC?
Yes. The ECP says a NADRA identity card is valid for voting even after its expiry date.
How do I move my vote to my new city?
Use Form 21, which covers transfers as well as new registrations. Submit it to the District Election Commissioner where you now live.
Who won the NA-168 Bahawalpur by-election?
Munir Iqbal of the PML-N leads with 87,789 votes on the provisional Form-47 dated 28 September 2026. The final result comes later from the ECP.
How we verified this
What we checked, where we read it, and what we could not confirm.
Last checked on 28 September 2026. The 8300 service, its reply and its start date, the District Election Commissioner route and Forms 21, 22 and 23 with the expired-card rule are read on the ECP's Check Your Registration, 8300 and How to Register pages. The helpline is on the ECP's helpline page. The Form-28 columns, the 292 polling stations, the corrigendum and the Form-47 figures are read in the NA-168 files on the ECP's By-Elections 2024 to 2026 page. Postal ballot rules come from the ECP press release of 25 August 2026, the poll date from its release of 24 September 2026, and the Punjab consultation from its release on the 20 August 2026 meeting. The KP material tender is listed on the ECP homepage.
About the author
Public Services and Education Journalist
Fajr Riaz is a journalist and content writer at Pakistan Era, based in Lahore. She covers the questions people meet in everyday life in Pakistan: how a public service works, what a change in the rules means, and where to find a reliable answer.
