Recently,
the state electoral officer of Tamilnadu Mr P S Pandyan has insisted
the government that it should not announce holiday on the day of election.
Mr Pandyan reasoned the holiday for the low voter turn out in elections,
more than the violence during elections. It is an irony that the logic
to announce the election day as a holiday is to enable the voter to
go to polling booths and to facilitate the process to get the actual
mandate of the people. The State Electoral Office argues that the
official leave on the election day gives one more extra holiday for
the people to enjoy and they do not step out of the house. One can
not completely ignore this argument.
Unsatisfactory
People Participation in Elections
It is quite disturbing to note that in the recent past
the percentage polling has gone down to such an extent that our democracy
is taken seriously only by little over 50% of the eligible voters
(i.e. population above the age of 18). We can not boast of running
a true democracy if more than 50% voter is ignorant or indifferent
or insulted by the way we run our democracy. We should identify the
reasons for ever-increasing people's exasperation with the election
process and try to address them in such a way that the people take
active part in the democracy especially in the voting process.
Probable Reasons
for Low Voter Turn-out
There is a considerable percentage of population who are genuinely
interested in voting but their names do not figure in the voter list.
While the author concurs with the State Electoral Officer Mr Pandyan
that holiday makes people to sit at home and hence government should
not announce election days as holidays, the Election Commission should
also gear up itself and make sure that every eligible voter's name
figures in the voter list. It is not at all an easy task. But before
pointing fingers at people, the officials in Election Commission should
plug the holes wherever it can identify holes. For instance, this
author got transferred to various cities in the last four years and
there is no easy mechanism by which he could enroll himself whenever
he moves into a new city. The bureaucracy is so cumbersome that voting
takes only few minutes whereas to get your name into the voter list,
one has to run around a lot. Why cann't there be a round the year
process by which one can approach the nearby office and get his/her
name included in the voter list? When the officials visit homes for
updating the voter list, many times, the working people could not
get their names enlisted and later feel guilty of not participating
in the election process.
Government Holiday
- Not the Lone Reason
There is an element of truth in what Mr Pandyan says i.e. people prefer
to remain at home on the election day because of the extra holiday
that they get. But the irrefutable fact is that there is a continuous
deterioration of people's faith over democracy and our political system.
This should not be overlooked. If a person can not be penalised for
not casting his/her vote, a person can also not be forced to vote
if he/she does not favour any candidate. There should not be an incentive
for casting one's vote. But to enjoy the benefit of democracy, one
must vote. Penalising for not casting one's vote would become logical
and justified in a democracy only if two things are assured - firstly,
one should not be made to run round to get the name included in the
voter list and secondly, if one gets a chance to express his/her lack
of faith in any of the contestants. If more than 50% of people in
a constituency express lack of confidence on all the contesting candidates
by preferring not to vote in favour of any of them, the Election Commission
should nullify the election in that constituency and should conduct
the election after collecting new nominations.
Deny Benefits of Democracy to Indifferent
Voters
In case a voter name does not figure in the list, the system should
allow him or her to prove his/her identity (passport, ration card,
bank passbook, job ID card etc) in the polling booth itself. They
should be given their voter ID card there itself. Even if there are
some more logistic hassles, they should be given at least a slip confirming
his/her interest to vote by endorsing that "because of missing name
not being able to vote". By doing this, the Election Commission is
now bound to enroll his/her name and also arrange for voter ID card
immediately without any further delay. In case, if the voter holding
such a slip endorsed by the Election Commission does not get the voter
ID card and does not get his name enrolled in the voter list before
the next election, the Election Commission should be made answerable.
For all those who have valid voter ID card, there should not be any
reason to remain at home if they are allowed to express their lack
of faith in the contestants. Even after this provision, if they do
not go to the polling booths, penalty is not undemocratic. The penalty
should be denying the benefits of democracy to them. What are such
benefits of democracy that can be denied to indifferent voters can
be listed taking the wide cross-section of the nation into confidence.
In local body elections, because of the smallness of a constituency
and better identity and popularity of benevolent and impeccable men
and women amongst the voters in a constituency, people should also
be given a choice to mention their preference. In less than 5000 votes
in a constituency, except for the Corporation constituencies, identifying
the preferred candidates, who have not nominated themselves in the
first place, is not difficult during counting. This would enable those
to get elected who are genuine but does not have necessary money and
muscle power to mobilize support. Of course, this is not possible
in Assembly and Parliament elections.....more
