Nepal Election Commission Prepares for Ballot Paper Voting

Nepal’s Election Commission has confirmed that the upcoming elections on March 5, 2026 will be conducted using ballot papers, despite calls to introduce electronic voting machines (EVMs) to reduce errors and invalid votes.

Acting Chief Election Commissioner Ram Prasad Bhandari said the commission has sufficient ballot papers and voting materials, with three hundred metric tons of paper allocated for the polls. Existing ballot boxes and paper stocks will be used to ensure smooth election management.

Nepal briefly experimented with electronic voting during the 2008 Constitution Assembly election in Kathmandu’s constituency No. 1, but despite nearly two decades of EVM availability, the technology has not been adopted due to challenges in production, supply, electricity, and voter readiness.

While EVMs offer faster results and other benefits, the commission emphasized that thorough preparation is needed before their use. For the upcoming polls, 89 types of election materials have been identified to facilitate voting using traditional ballot papers.

The Election Commission said prioritizing paper ballots will ensure a reliable, manageable voting process for voters across the country.