How to Cast Your Vote in Pakistan: 7 Steps Inside the Polling Station, and What If Someone Voted in Your Name
How to cast your vote in Pakistan: the original CNIC rule, 7 steps inside the polling station, marking the ballot, and a tendered ballot if your vote was cast.
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To cast your vote in Pakistan, take your original CNIC to your polling station. The polling officer calls out your name, strikes it off the roll, inks your finger and takes your thumb impression. You get a stamped ballot paper, mark it in the screened booth, fold it and drop it in the box. If someone has already voted in your name, ask for a tendered ballot paper.
On Sunday 8 November 2026, voters in NA-77 Gujranwala-I and PP-203 Sahiwal-VI go to the polls from 8 am to 5 pm. For a first-time voter, the polling station can feel confusing. There are queues, several officers, and a ballot paper full of symbols.
We read Sections 81 to 89 of the Elections Act, 2017, in the copy the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) publishes on its website. They set out every step inside the station. This guide follows them in order, then covers the four things that can go wrong.
Check your polling station and take your original CNIC
Before you leave home, find out where you vote. Send your 13-digit CNIC number, with no dashes, to 8300. The reply gives your electoral area, block code and serial number. Our guide on checking your vote by 8300 explains each line.
Then take your original CNIC. Section 84 says the Presiding Officer must ask for the original National Identity Card issued by NADRA. A photocopy, a photo on your phone or a token from a party camp is not enough. Section 84(5) says no ballot paper can be issued to a person who fails to produce the original card.
An expired card is a common worry. The Act says "original National Identity Card" and does not mention expiry. We could not find an ECP notice on expired cards for the 8 November polls on ecp.gov.pk. If yours has expired, take it anyway and call the ECP helpline, 051-111-327-000, before you go.
Cast your vote in seven steps inside the station
Section 84 sets the order. The officers do most of it. Your job is to show the card, accept the ink, and mark the paper in private.
- Show your original CNIC to the polling officer at your booth.
- The officer calls out your number and name from the electoral roll and strikes off your entry.
- You put your thumb impression on the roll, next to your photo.
- Your finger or thumb is marked with indelible ink, which does not wash off for days.
- The ballot paper is stamped on the back with the official mark and signed, and you put your thumb impression on its counterfoil, the stub that stays behind.
- Go behind the screen and stamp the paper inside the box of the candidate you choose.
- Fold the paper and drop it in the ballot box, then leave the station.
Section 84(8) says you must vote without undue delay and leave right after. Do not wait inside to see others vote.
Mark the ballot correctly or it will not count
Stamp once, inside the space for one candidate's name and symbol. Section 90 lists the ballot papers that are thrown out at the count. They include papers with no official mark or signature, papers with any extra writing or mark, and papers with no mark for any candidate.
| What you do | Result |
|---|---|
| One stamp inside one candidate's box | Counted |
| No stamp on any candidate | Excluded from the count |
| Your name, a signature or a note written on it | Excluded from the count |
| Paper or an object attached to it | Excluded from the count |
| Wrong stamp by mistake, then returned | Cancelled, and you get a new paper |
The NA-77 and PP-203 candidate lists, with each symbol, are on our page on the 8 November by-elections.
Someone already voted in your name: ask for a tendered ballot
This happens, and the law has a fix. Section 85 says that if another person has already voted in your name, you can still get a ballot paper if you prove your identity in the normal way. It is called a Tendered Ballot Paper.
You mark it like any other ballot. But it does not go in the box. The Presiding Officer puts it in a separate packet and writes your name in a Tendered Votes List. That list goes to the ECP, which sends it to NADRA for a forensic check of the thumb impressions. The ECP then starts legal action against the person who voted in your name.
Voting as someone else is personation, a corrupt practice that carries up to three years in prison. Our list of election offences and penalties covers it.
Three more problems and what the law says
Most voting days go smoothly. These are the other cases the Act covers, in the order people meet them.
- You spoil the ballot by mistake. Section 87 says you can return it, show that it was an accident, and get a new one. The old paper is cancelled.
- You cannot vote alone. Section 84(9) says a voter who is blind or otherwise unable to vote alone can take a companion's help, with the Presiding Officer's permission.
- You are still in the queue at 5 pm. Section 89 says people who are inside the station's building or enclosure at closing time, and waiting to vote, can still vote. Anyone arriving after that cannot.
Someone may also challenge you as a voter. Under Section 86, a candidate's agent can deposit Rs 100 and claim you are not the person on the roll. You still vote, on a Challenged Ballot Paper, and it is still counted. Stay calm and show your card.
What you should not take inside
Leave party badges and leaflets outside. Canvassing within 400 metres of a polling station is banned on polling day. Do not take a photo of your marked ballot. Section 178 makes that an offence, as it breaks the secrecy of the vote.
If you see a problem, report it. The ECP's control centre for the 8 November polls takes complaints on 051-111-327-000 and at complaints@ecp.gov.pk.
Common questions
Can I vote with a photocopy of my CNIC?
No. Section 84 of the Elections Act, 2017 requires the original National Identity Card issued by NADRA.
Can I vote with an expired CNIC?
The Act says "original" card and is silent on expiry. We found no ECP notice on it for 8 November, so take the card and confirm on the ECP helpline, 051-111-327-000.
What if someone has already voted in my name?
Ask the Presiding Officer for a Tendered Ballot Paper under Section 85. Your case goes to NADRA for a thumb impression check.
Can I vote if I am in the queue at 5 pm?
Yes, if you are inside the polling station's building or enclosure at closing time and waiting to vote, under Section 89.
What if I stamp the wrong candidate?
Before you drop it in the box, return it to the Presiding Officer and ask for a new one under Section 87.
Can someone help an elderly or blind voter?
Yes. Section 84(9) lets a voter who cannot vote alone take a companion's help, with the Presiding Officer's permission.
How we verified this
What we checked, where we read it, and what we could not confirm.
Last checked 7 November 2026. We read Sections 81 to 90 and 178 of the Elections Act, 2017 (updated to 5 August 2023) on the ECP election laws page, and the ECP press release of 7 November 2026 for the helpline.
About the author
Global Affairs & Political Economy Writer
Muhammad Hatim is a book lover who started writing because he enjoys it. At Pakistan Era he writes about international relations, geopolitics and the global economy, with a particular interest in South Asia and the forces behind current events.
