The Election Commission (EC) is considering revising its voter education strategy after preliminary data from the March 5 House of Representatives elections showed a significant number of invalid votes.

Suman Ghimire, information officer of the commission, said that more than five percent of ballots cast under the first-past-the-post (FPTP) system were invalid, a figure the apex election authority has taken seriously despite running extensive voter education programmes ahead of the polls.

“Voter education was carried out intensively to increase participation and minimise invalid votes. But preliminary figures show that the number of invalid ballots has not declined as expected,” Ghimire said.

The commission said the proportion of invalid votes was significantly lower under the proportional representation (PR) system, at around three percent.

The electoral body’s initial assessment indicated that many ballots in the FPTP system were invalidated because voters marked more than one election symbol on a ballot paper that required them to select only one candidate. Ballots marked against two or more symbols are automatically taken as invalid.

Following the higher-than-expected invalid vote rate, the commission is also considering changes to its voter education approach. Officials say traditional awareness campaigns alone may not be sufficient.

The commission is, therefore, planning to involve political parties and candidates—who have direct contact with voters—in future voter education efforts aimed at reducing invalid ballots in upcoming elections, Ghimire said.