The general public can now try out the Electronic Voting Machine (EVM) and the Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trial (VVPAT), before casting their vote on election day. Two voting machines for this purpose have been installed at the exhibition conducted by the Directorate of Advertising and Visual Publicity (DAVP) and the State Election Commission (SEC) to educate the public on the importance of voting and the procedures involved in it.
Former chief election commissioner N Gopalaswami inaugurated this ‘Voter Awareness Poster Campaign’ here on Friday in the presence of Vikram Kapur, District Election Officer and Commissioner, Corporation of Chennai, and Sundaravalli, Chennai Collector and Additional Election Officer. The exhibition, which is part of a series of campaigns by the DAVP and the State EC, is on near the Labour Statue on Marina Beach till Sunday.
The posters at the exhibition explain the laws and procedures for voting and enrolling oneself in the electoral list, in detail. “One vote that you cast will decide who forms the government,” reads a poster on the right to vote. “Every scheme by the government is executed with the tax money you pay. Decide who is the right person to execute these schemes,” said another, emphasising on the importance of voting.
Speaking of electoral officers who have worked in sensitive areas without any protection, Gopalaswami said, “For an officer, election itself is a challenge.” The former CEC also launched campaign stickers with the slogan ‘My vote, my right’. Bharathalaya, a drama troupe from the Drama Division of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, performed a street play on elections and voting.