Every election, India has seen the aged and infirm being helped into voting booths to exercise their franchise. This time, the voting booth is going to them. The Vote From Home (VFH) facility introduced in Karnataka by the Election Commission of India, for the first time in the country, has proved to be a blessing for those in the 80+ age group and people with disabilities (PwD). It is a commendable initiative, considering that 99,529 voters have registered for VFH, including 80,250 aged voters and 19,279 PwD voters. Five days since VFH started, this exercise in inclusivity is going on smoothly, with 2,542 teams on 2,706 routes to cover the voters’ homes. The Election Commission has worked out the nitty-gritty down to the last detail—each team, comprising a presiding officer, an assistant, a micro observer, a police constable and poll agents, literally creates a mini polling booth for each voter. A videographer records the entire process until the ballot is dropped into a sealed metal box. Senior citizens, who have watched the nation take birth and grow into a democracy, are often the most conscientious voters. Their keenness to cast their ballot should inspire the indifferent urban voter who treats voting day as a holiday, reflecting the low voter turnout in cities.
Though the EC has done its best to ensure that no voter is left out of the process, less than 1 lakh of the 12.15 lakh aged population (including 16,973 centenarians) have opted for VFH. Similarly, only a fraction of the 5.55 lakh PwDs is casting its vote at home. This should not be construed as a failure since VFH is a novel idea and has yet to gain currency. Enhanced awareness will undoubtedly make it more popular in future elections.
The other initiatives of the EC, whose mission is to ensure that all voters have their say, especially the migrant population, are also laudable. Its pilot project to include this vast demographic through remote voting may have encountered logistical problems, but with Remote Voting Machines (RVMs) being honed with the aid of technology, it should eventually become possible. Remote voting can change the political scenario if implemented without flaws, chief among them being accessibility, data on the migrants, and secrecy of the ballot. This should go a long way in strengthening our democracy.