Dhaka Raises Signature Threshold to 8% for Local Ballot Measures

The Dhaka North City Corporation approved revised procedures for citizen-initiated referendums on 8 July 2026, requiring 8 percent of registered voters in a ward to sign petitions before any local ballot measure reaches voters. The rules apply to questions on services such as water supply charges, waste collection schedules and street lighting budgets within the corporation's 54 wards.

Amendments to the Local Government (City Corporation) Act passed by parliament in late 2025 prompted the change. Those amendments directed major city corporations to standardise petition thresholds after smaller municipalities reported inconsistent signature rules that sometimes allowed measures with as few as 3 percent support to reach ballots.

How the rules differ from other cities

Chittagong City Corporation retains its 5 percent threshold for ward-level petitions, while Sylhet uses a flat 4,000-signature minimum regardless of ward size. Dhaka North's higher bar means organisers must gather roughly 12,000 signatures in a typical ward of 150,000 voters, compared with about 7,500 under Chittagong rules. Local advocates note the difference will affect how quickly residents can challenge proposed increases in holding taxes or changes to bus route licensing.

The 2026 city budget allocates 1.8 crore taka to cover printing, verification and polling costs for any referendum held before June 2027, according to the corporation's published financial statement. Verification staff will cross-check signatures against the voter list maintained by the Election Commission within 30 days of submission.

Next steps for residents and the corporation

Petition drives may begin immediately under the new forms released by the corporation's legal cell. Any measure that meets the threshold will appear on ballots during the next scheduled local election or at a special poll called by the mayor, whichever comes first. The corporation expects the first completed petitions to reach its office by early 2027.