EC’s pilot on remote voting for migrants
Recently, the Election Commission is considering a pilot project for the possibilities of remote voting for overseas voters.
- The Election Commission has said that a committee will be constituted to examine the issues related to migrant voters. This committee will also explore the possibilities of remote voting after consultation with all the stakeholders.
- Remote voting refers to a system that allows voters to cast their votes from places other than the designated polling stations in their registered constituencies. Other locations may be within the country or may also be overseas.
- There are about 40 crore internal migrants in India. Of these, about 120 million are migrant workers of circular nature.
- Internal migrant workers do not enroll as voters at their place of employment. This is because it is difficult for them to provide proof of their residence in this context.
Current and proposed means of voting for migrants
- Currently, postal ballots are the only way for individuals outside their polling area to vote, but this facility is available to some service voters, such as military personnel.
- One Nation One Voter ID: This is a proposed solution to ensure ballot portability. It will help those who are unable to exercise their franchise. Eg: NRIs, Overseas etc.
- Aadhar linked electronic voting system: This model will enable voters to cast their votes from any part of the country.
Source – The Hindu
