Register prospective voters at 17\, say EC working groups

Register prospective voters at 17, say EC working groups

The groups have also reiterated a set of old demands, including limiting the expenditure of political parties, amending Section 126 of the RP Act to cover print media and the introduction of four cut-off dates in a year for youngsters turning 18 to enrol as voters.

By: Express News Service | New Delhi | Published: March 8, 2020 3:06:24 am
Election Commission, Election Commission of India, Election Commission working group, voters, India news, Indian Express Section 126, or the 48-hour ‘silence period’ before an election, only extends to electronic media. Also, currently, there is only one cut-off date (January 1) to calculate the eligibility age for first-time voters.

The working groups set up by the Election Commission (EC) after the Lok Sabha polls have made a strong pitch for registration of all prospective voters at the age of 17 and allowing candidates to file their nomination online.

The groups have also reiterated a set of old demands, including limiting the expenditure of political parties, amending Section 126 of the RP Act to cover print media and the introduction of four cut-off dates in a year for youngsters turning 18 to enrol as voters.

Section 126, or the 48-hour ‘silence period’ before an election, only extends to electronic media. Also, currently, there is only one cut-off date (January 1) to calculate the eligibility age for first-time voters.

The poll panel had set up a total of nine working groups after the Lok Sabha elections to make suggestions on different topics such as electoral roll issues, polling station management, poll expenditure, Model Code of Conduct and voting processes. These groups had senior officers of the Commission and Chief Electoral Officers of different states as members.

On Saturday, the EC made some of their recommendations public to seek feedback. The pitch for online registration of all prospective voters at the age of 17 has been justified on the ground that it will help in the “smooth transition” of a young citizen into the electoral roll the moment she becomes eligible. The group has called for registration facilities to be set up in schools and colleges.

Another recommendation for the Commission is to explore the feasibility of alternative voting methods to increase the participation of migrant voters.

On the suggestion to allow candidates contesting an election to file their nomination online, the working groups have said: “Creating online facility for filing nomination will help in avoiding errors and will ease the process of filing nomination.”