KOCHI: Even as Kerala went abuzz with discussions on the rise in voter turnout, a quiet absence marked the day. Many elderly residents in senior living homes were missing from polling, held back by distance, disinterest and discomfort.
According to data from the social justice department the state has at least 722 senior living centres housing over 22,000 residents. With improved facilities such as home voting now available, experts have called for enabling voters to transfer their registration to their place of residence to improve participation among the elderly.
“The BLOs facilitated home voting for residents of these senior living centres. However, only a few people cast their votes. Those who had to travel to their hometowns on polling day avoided the election,” said Jiji Philip, CEO of the Travancore Foundation in Kottayam, adding that a lack of interest among some elderly voters was also a factor.
“Most of these residents are from faraway places. For them, travelling to their native places to vote is not an easy task. Though they closely follow politics, reading newspapers and watching the news, they did not cast their votes,” said Joseph Alex, managing trustee of Signature Foundation, adding that only two out of 200 residents cast their votes.
Some senior living homes in the state arranged for vote transfers. “There was a home-voting facility for people above 80. Others went to the booth. Since we had shifted the votes, it was convenient for them as well,” said Babu Joseph, president of the Senior Living Association in Kerala, which has more than 11 member institutions with over 2,000 residents.
Biju Mathew, head of HelpAge India, a non-governmental organisation working for the welfare of the elderly, said the situation has improved significantly in the case of senior citizens living with their children, or independently.
“Now, more elderly people are aware of the home voting facility. Also, since booths are elderly-friendly, it is easier for them to cast their votes,” he said. “But that’s not the case with those staying at centres.”
Biju stressed that senior living centres — both government and private — should take the initiative to facilitate vote transfers. “These residents, most of whom are above 60 or 70, are likely to spend the rest of their lives in these centres,” he said.
“It is better to shift their votes to the constituency or division where they reside. This will help them exercise their rights even in old age. They too should have a say in democracy.”