The 1985 National Assembly election recorded 581,469 rejected votes — a rejection rate of 3.33%, the highest for the National Assembly across all elections in this dataset from 1970 to 2024. Of 17,468,083 votes polled, nearly one in 30 was declared invalid. Across all assemblies, the nationwide total reached 987,758 rejected ballots. Balochistan’s provincial rate was the highest at 3.85%, followed by Punjab at 2.23% and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa at 2.05%. Sindh recorded the lowest rate at 1.76%.
Election Context: 1985
Pakistan’s 1985 general elections were held on 25 February 1985 under the military government of General Zia ul-Haq on a non-party basis — political parties were barred from contesting as organisations. Candidates stood as individuals. The non-party framework was a significant departure from previous electoral experience, and the 3.33% National Assembly rejection rate — the highest recorded across all elections in this dataset — may in part reflect voter disorientation with individual-candidate rather than party-symbol voting.
Breakdown — Rejected Ballots
| Assembly | Rejected Ballots | Rejection Rate |
| National Assembly Election | 581,469 | 3.33% |
| Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly Election | 41,200 | 2.05% |
| Punjab Assembly Election | 282,420 | 2.23% |
| Sindh Assembly Election | 60,329 | 1.76% |
| Balochistan Assembly Election | 22,340 | 3.85% |
Source: TDEA–FAFEN compiled dataset from Election Commission of Pakistan records.
What Is a Rejected Ballot?
A rejected ballot is a ballot paper excluded from the vote count. Polling staff identify and set aside such ballots during the counting process at the polling station. The Returning Officer (RO) then reviews these determinations during the consolidation of results, and the ballot is formally rejected only after that scrutiny. Pakistani electoral procedure specifies four grounds for rejection: the ballot does not bear the presiding officer’s official stamp and signature; it carries any mark or writing beyond the Assistant Presiding Officer’s (APO) official seal and signature; an extraneous paper or material is attached to it; or the voting mark falls simultaneously in the boxes of two candidates in a way that makes it impossible to determine which candidate the voter intended to select.
Rejection does not automatically indicate fraud or deliberate misconduct. Voter error — including accidental double-marking or stamps placed outside the designated box — accounts for a documented share of rejections in every election.
