In a concerted effort to enhance voter engagement and participation, the Election Commission of India (ECI) has intensified its initiatives targeting Parliamentary Constituencies (PCs) with a history of low voter turnout in previous General Elections.
Today, a day-long ‘Conference on Low Voter Turnout’ was convened at Nirvachan Sadan, New Delhi, where Municipal Commissioners from major cities and selected District Election Officers (DEOs) from Bihar and Uttar Pradesh deliberated to chart a path towards increasing voter participation in identified urban and rural PCs.
The conference, chaired by Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar, along with Election Commissioners, Gyanesh Kumar and Sukhbir Singh Sandhu, witnessed the release of a booklet on voter apathy by the Commission.
In the 2019 General Elections to the Lok Sabha, 11 States/UTs, including Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, NCT of Delhi, Maharashtra, Uttarakhand, Telangana, Gujarat, Punjab, Rajasthan, Jammu and Kashmir, and Jharkhand, recorded voter turnouts lower than the national average of 67.40%. Of the 50 identified rural PCs across these 11 states with lower voter turnout, 40 were from Uttar Pradesh (22 PCs) and Bihar (18 PCs). The 51-Phulpur PC in UP and the 29-Nalanda PC in Bihar recorded the lowest turnouts of 48.7% and 48.79%, respectively.
Addressing the gathering, Chief Election Commissioner Shri Rajiv Kumar emphasized a three-pronged strategy: providing facilitation at polling stations like queue management and shelter parking in congested areas; targeted outreach and communication; and involvement of critical stakeholders such as Resident Welfare Associations (RWAs), local icons, and youth influencers to persuade people to visit polling stations.
Kumar directed the officials to prepare booth-wise action plans for enhanced participation and behavior change, emphasizing the need for different strategies for urban and rural areas and tailored interventions for diverse target audiences. He urged the authorities to instill a sense of pride among voters in participating in the democratic process and called for a self-motivated movement to vote.
The conference focused on crafting a comprehensive action plan to address voter apathy, streamline logistical operations, and increase voter turnout. Discussions centered on critical issues such as optimizing queue management at polling stations, facilitating voting in high-rise buildings, and leveraging the influential Systematic Voters’ Education and Electoral Participation (SVEEP) program.
The ECI outlined an array of innovative voter awareness campaigns under SVEEP, including rolling out public transport and sanitation vehicles adorned with essential election messages, incorporating voter awareness messages into utility bills, collaborating with RWAs and voter awareness forums, hosting informative sessions at public spaces, organizing engaging events like marathons and walkathons, and utilizing various platforms for disseminating voter education materials. The conference was attended by Municipal Commissioners from major cities, select District Election Officers from Bihar and Uttar Pradesh, as well as Chief Electoral Officers from several states.
With approximately 297 million eligible voters not exercising their franchise in the 2019 General Elections to the Lok Sabha, the ECI’s proactive measures aim to address the scale of the problem and reverse the trend of urban apathy towards the electoral process.
