Context:
Over 2,900 senior citizens and persons with disabilities (PWDs) applied for home voting for the upcoming Delhi Legislative Assembly Election.
Home Voting:
- A voting facility that was 1st introduced during the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, ensuring eligible citizens can cast their votes from their residences,
- Who is eligible?
- How to avail the vote-from-home facility?
- A letter informing the Assistant Returning Officer (ARO) that the person may not be in a position to go to the polling station to vote has to be filled and submitted within 5 days of notification of the polling date.
- Eligible voters who opt for Vote-from-Home are not permitted to vote directly at polling stations on polling day.
- Once filed, 2 polling officials, accompanied by a videographer and a security person, will visit the elector’s home and oversee the postal ballot voting process.
- The home voting option can be attempted twice. The polling team will schedule a second visit if the elector fails to be at the given address during the first visit.
- If the voter is absent on the second visit, “a further visit will not be entertained.” The voter will subsequently be ineligible to vote both at polling booths and through the home voting scheme.
Related initiatives by Election Commission:
- SVEEP (Systematic Voter’s Education and Electoral Participation)
- Postal ballot – Allows votes being sent by post. Following persons are entitled to vote by post –
- Members of the armed forces like the Army, Navy, and Air Force.
- Members of the armed police force of a state (serving outside the state)
- Government employees posted outside India and their spouses
- Voters under preventive detention
- Special voters such as the President of India, Vice President, Governors, Cabinet ministers, Speaker of the House, and government officers on poll duty have the option to vote by post.
- Absentee Voters: These are voters who are unable to cast their vote due to their service conditions or other conditions. They include voters a) employed in essential services b) Persons with disabilities and c) senior citizens above 80 years of age.
- Proxy voting – Allows registered elector to delegate his voting rights to a representative he nominates.
- Available for service voters, like those in the armed forces or diplomatic missions.
Note: Proxy or Postal Voting facility for non-resident Indians (NRIs) has not been implemented yet.
Source: IE
Previous Year Question
Consider the following statements:
1. The Election Commission of India is a five-member body.
2. The Union Ministry of Home Affairs decides the election schedule for the conduct of both general elections and by-elections.
3. Election Commission resolves the disputes relating to splits/mergers of recognized political parties.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
[UPSC Civil Services Exam – 2017 Prelims]
(a) 1 and 2 only
(b) 2 only
(c) 2 and 3 only
(d) 3 only
Answer: (d)
Explanation:
Statement 1 is not correct. According to Article 324, the Election Commission shall consist of the Chief Election Commissioner and such number of other Election Commissioners, if any, as the President may form a time-to-time fix.
Statement 2 is not correct. Election Commission of India decides the election schedule for the conduct of both general elections and by-elections.