REMOTE ELECTRONIC VOTING MACHINE (RVM)
1.Background
Soon after assuming office as Chief Election Commissioner, Shri Kumar’s learning of domestic migration issues first hand from his trek to Dumak village in Chamoli district, focused his attention on enabling the migrant voters to exercise their franchise from their current place of residence.
2.Objective
Objective of finding a technological solution which is credible, accessible and acceptable to all stakeholders, the Commission headed by Chief Election Commissioner has now explored the option of using a modified version of the time-tested model of M3 EVMs to enable voting at remote polling stations i.e., polling stations outside home constituency, for domestic migrants
The migrant voter would thus need not travel back to his/her home district to exercise his/her franchise of voting.
3.Challenges
| Administrative challenges | Legal challenges | Technological challenges |
|
Enumerating remote voter self-voter declaration
|
Laws/rules needing amendments
|
Method of remote voting |
|
Providing controlled environment
-ensuring secrecy of voting at remote locations
|
Defining migrant Voter
|
Familiarity of the voters with the methods/ Multi constituency Remote EVM or any other technology |
| Provision of polling agents at remote voting booths& ensuring identification of voters to avoid impersonation |
Define Remote Voting
|
Counting of votes cast at remote booths and transmit to RO located in the state |
| Number of booths to be set up & locations | ||
| Appointment of polling personnel for remote polling stations and supervision thereof | ||
| Implementation of MCC in remote location (other state) |
4.Way forward
The Commission in association with a renowned Public Sector Undertaking is now ready to pilot a Multi Constituency Remote Electronic Voting Machine (RVM) for facilitating participation of domestic migrants from their remote locations itself i.e., the places of their current residence for purposes of education/employment, etc., for voting for their home constituencies.
This modified form of EVM can handle up to 72 multiple constituencies from a single remote polling booth. The initiative, if implemented, can lead to a social transformation for the migrants and connect with their roots as many times they are reluctant to get themselves enrolled at their place of work for various reasons such as frequently changing residences, not enough social and emotional connect with the issues of area of migration, unwillingness to get their name deleted in electoral roll of their home/native constituencies as they have permanent residence/property etc.
Source:Pib
