Voter Turnout in GE-2018: Analysis of Provisional Results

However, the number of voters increased significantly, with 8.45 million more voters participating in GE-2018 compared to GE-2013. This increase is attributed to a substantial rise in voter registration, from 86.18 million in 2013 to 105.96 million in 2018. The growth in registered voters between 2013 and 2018 (19.77 million) surpassed the increase in the 10 years between 2002 and 2013 (14.27 million). The remarkable growth in registered voters for GE-2018 can be explained by a heightened emphasis on voter registration following the enactment of the Elections Act, 2017. Sections 12(c), 47, and 48 of the Act require the Election Commission of Pakistan to facilitate maximum voter enrollment, especially by women. The ECP's Gender and Disability Group, District Voter Education Committees (DVECs), and synergies with civil society were key factors in augmenting the GE-2018 electoral rolls. Punjab witnessed a significant increase in voter turnout, with 5.17 million more voters participating in GE-2018 compared to GE-2013. Sindh, KP including FATA, Balochistan, and ICT also saw increases in voter turnout, with 1.81 million, 0.77 million, 0.64 million, and 55,851 more voters, respectively. The turnout for National Assembly (NA) constituencies in Punjab was 56.68%, while the turnout for Provincial Assembly (PA) constituencies was 56.64%. In Sindh and Balochistan, the turnout for PA constituencies was higher than for NA constituencies. The female voter turnout in GE-2018 was lower than male voter turnout across the country and across assemblies. Only 46.89% of registered women voters cast their ballots for the National Assembly, compared to 56.07% registered men voters. In Punjab, male turnout was 48.87% and female turnout 40.03%, while in Sindh, male turnout was 50.87% against 42.46% female turnout. In KP including FATA, the difference between male turnout (51.77%) and female turnout (32.96%) was starker than any other province. The highest turnout for any NA constituency was recorded in NA-222 Tharparkar-II, where around 70.9% of the registered voters cast their votes. The lowest turnout was in NA-49 South Waziristan Agency, where only 20.71% of voters exercised their right to vote. Provincial assemblies' turnout also varied greatly, with the lowest turnout PA constituency being PK-Hangu II in KP with 26.7% turnout, and the highest turnout constituency being PS-56 Tharparkar-III in Sindh with 73.4% turnout.