GE-2002: Ballots Rejected = 775,720

In the 2002 National Assembly election, 775,720 votes were rejected out of 30,012,407 polled — a rate of 2.58%. Nationwide, 1,617,496 ballots were rejected across all assemblies, the highest combined total since 1970. The increase in absolute rejections is substantially explained by a significant rise in total votes polled compared to 1997. Balochistan recorded the highest provincial rate at 3.87%; Khyber Pakhtunkhwa reached 3.07%, and Punjab 2.95%. Sindh recorded the lowest rate at 2.28%.

Election Context: 2002

Pakistan’s 2002 general elections were held on 10 October 2002 under the military government of General Pervez Musharraf following the coup of October 1999. The elections were held under a Legal Framework Order that introduced significant changes to electoral and constitutional arrangements, including reserved seats for women and a graduate qualification requirement for candidates. The return to higher turnout compared to 1997 is reflected in the substantially increased absolute number of rejected ballots, even as the percentage rate remained below the peaks of 1985 and 1970.

Breakdown — Rejected Ballots

Source: TDEA–FAFEN compiled dataset from Election Commission of Pakistan records.

What Is a Rejected Ballot?

A rejected or invalid ballot is a ballot paper that polling staff determine cannot be counted as a 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.