- For the uninitiated, 25th January is celebrated as National Voters Day in India as the Election Commission was founded on this day in 1950. Needless to mention as well as worth remembering yet again, a highlight of the Constitution that was adopted a day after on 26th January 1950, ensured the introduction of universal adult franchise in a country with an extremely low literacy level back then. In pursuit of achieving the stated objectives, the Election Commission has performed an admirable role in a vastly diverse and expansive country as mandated by the Constitution ever since.
PC: theheritagelab
- Undeniably, alongside the Supreme Court, the Election Commission is not only revered for discharging responsibilities in a most professional, unbiased, and impartial manner but also succeeding time and again in provisioning eligible voters the ways and means to exercise their franchise without fear or favor. No wonder, the EC is held in high regards by the countrymen who are profound in their appreciation as also acknowledged and recognized universally for undertaking a humongous exercise in conducting elections after elections perpetually. It’s no less than a miracle to even comprehend how the Election Commission conducts these elections so seamlessly.
- The entire world recently witnessed what unfolded in the United States of America resulting in a prolonged and violent crisis that exploded with no less than the incumbent President questioning the impartiality and fairness of the entire electoral process raising such elaborate misgivings at every occasion. As the countrymen would proudly recollect, nothing remotely resembling the scale of misgivings projected in the USA is/was ever raised here, though the opposition parties having lost the elections routinely questions the technological efficacy of EVMs (Electronic Voting Machines) which remains unsubstantiated and unproven.
PC: newsclick
- Keeping the tradition of improvisations and innovations riding on technological advancements of the time, the Election Commission has announced that it will commence mock trials for remote voting. Considering the demographical challenges, the announcement assumes greater importance as the development has the wherewithal to change the electoral landscape. The Representation of the People Act, which provides the overarching framework to conduct elections, was enacted seven decades ago. In keeping with the times, the Act tied voting to the constituency where the voter is “ordinarily resident”.
- Times have changed dramatically since then as economic migration is on a continuous churning seeking livelihood as these migrants do not move for good and stick to their original constituency. Note that exercising their vote in both local and national elections is always expensive and cumbersome. This is where the introduction of remote voting would prove to be a game-changer and hence, a giant step towards upholding universal adult franchise. Reports emerging suggest the EC has been working with IIT Madras to create the technology backbone for remote voting. In no small way, the advent of EVMs has laid the platform for it.
- The immense opportunity presented by the technological development will enable remote voting at designated centers outside a voter’s constituency with the advent of a robust system and advances. Also, it may eventually be possible to vote from home helping senior citizens and physically challenged voters as well. The EC should pursue this diligently and set a timeframe for introducing the envisaged system.
