PESHAWAR: Voter turnout for the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Provincial Assembly in the 1990 General Elections stood at 38.6%, with 2.33 million ballots cast from a pool of 6.02 million registered voters. This turnout rate was notably lower than both the national average and that of Punjab, highlighting challenges specific to the province.

According to Free and Fair Election Network, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, formerly known as the North-West Frontier Province until 2010, has been historically affected by the geopolitical instability along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border. The province's electorate is predominantly Pashtun, though Hindko-speaking communities and other minorities contribute to its demographic diversity. The gender gap in voter registration was significant, with male voters comprising 57% and female voters 43% of the registered electorate, reflecting enduring barriers to women's participation in the electoral process.

The province's challenging geography and security concerns have contributed to the consistently lower voter turnout compared to other regions. The 1990 elections saw 30,606 rejected ballots, constituting 1.3% of the total votes. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has historically recorded higher rejection rates than Punjab and Sindh, which may be attributed to lower literacy levels and administrative challenges.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's registered electorate has grown significantly over the decades, from 3.1 million in 1970 to 21.9 million in 2024, largely due to the integration of former FATA constituencies. Despite this growth, voter turnout has varied, with the highest recorded at 47.8% in 1970 and the lowest at 24% in 1997.