Everything you should know about mail-in voting before the state Assembly elections and national elections in 2024
Postal ballot voting-Media covering “polling day activities” is now entitled to vote by postal ballot. In the state Assembly elections and the impending Lok Sabha elections of 2024, announcement from the Election Commission of India (ECI).
When a voter is unable to cast their ballot in person. They can still exercise their right to vote by using postal ballots. More accessibility and inclusivity in the election process have been made possible by this procedure.
Postal ballots—what are they?
With postal ballots, sometimes referred to as mail-in ballots. Eligible voters can cast their votes without physically visiting a polling place by mail. For those who cannot vote in person because of a variety of reasons, including being outside of their home constituency, having a disability, or having to perform necessary duties on election day, this system offers a simple substitute.
Who can use mail-in ballots to cast their vote?
Voting by mail ballot is an option available to eligible voters such as:
Voters in the service category include members of the armed forces, paramilitary groups, and government workers who are stationed distant from their home districts for electoral duty.
Absentee voters: Those who are unable to cast a ballot in person because of a disability, illness, or employment commitment.
Election workers and public servants deployed to polling places other than their own are known as “election duty voters.”
Preventive detention voters: Those who are held under preventive custody orders while elections are taking place.
Services that are necessary to cover election day activities: In the Lok Sabha and four state Assembly elections, voters may use postal ballots if they are members of the media with EC authorization letters or work in vital services like transportation, hospitals, and railroads.
The Conduct of Election Rules, 1961 was modified in October 2019 by the Ministry of Law and Justice. This modification lowered the voting age from 85 to 80 and permitted Persons with Disabilities (PwDs) to cast ballots via postal ballot in the 2020 Delhi Assembly elections.
Requesting a ballot by mail
Voters who meet the eligibility requirements must submit Form 12 D to the returning officer (RO), of their constituency in order to request a Postal ballot voting. Personal information, voter identification credentials, and the purpose for requesting a postal ballot are usually required on the application. Once eligibility is confirmed, the RO issues the postal ballot to those who meet the requirements.
Goutam Mondal is a professional News Reporter at Wishma TV. He writes about West Bengal State News at Wishma TV.
