Peshawar: The 1977 General Elections in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa saw a voter turnout of 35.3%, with 1.31 million votes cast out of 3.70 million registered voters. This turnout was notably lower than the national average, reflecting a trend consistent with previous election cycles in the region.

According to Free and Fair Election Network, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, formerly known as the North-West Frontier Province until 2010, has historically faced challenges impacting voter turnout. The province, which is predominantly Pashtun but includes Hindko-speaking communities and other linguistic minorities, has been affected by conflict and instability along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border. The electorate in 1977 included 2.20 million male voters and 1.48 million female voters, highlighting a significant gender gap in voter registration.

The region's challenging geographical conditions, such as mountainous terrain and limited transport infrastructure, coupled with security threats, have contributed to lower polling rates in some constituencies. Moreover, 20,813 ballots were rejected in the 1977 elections, accounting for 1.6% of total votes cast. This rejection rate, while within the historical range for the province, was higher than those recorded in Punjab and Sindh.

Despite the low turnout in 1977, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's registered electorate has grown significantly, from 3.1 million in 1970 to 21.9 million in 2024. This growth includes the addition of former FATA constituencies. The province's highest recorded voter turnout was 47.8% in 1970, whereas the lowest was 24% in 1997. The systematic recording and publication of gender-disaggregated voting data began only in 2018, indicating a progression towards more detailed electoral analyses in recent years.