voters’ education & awareness : innovative practices : 1 district election officer, vadodara...

Voters’ Education & Awareness : Innovative Practices :

1

District Election Officer, VADODARA

General Election 2009Vijay Nehra, IAS

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Vadodara district took some innovative steps in the election process with a view to educating the voters to register their names in electoral roll and to help them in locating their names in the electoral rolls, finding the polling booths where they have to cast their votes and using EVMs.

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Election HelplineA telephone helpline was

started to help the voters in tracing out their names and find the location of the polling stations where they have to cast their votes.

4

Election HelplineA simple software was

used which could find out the voter details and tell the location of the PS if the caller gave either the EPIC no. or his name

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Election Helpline

Total 10 lines were operated and approximately 400 calls were attended daily.

Operators were imparted special training in replying to the queries of voters in a professional manner.

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Awareness through the help of residential housing societies

After the new delimitation of constituencies, it became important to help voters to locate their new voting booths. A novel experiment was undertaken by writing letters to the presidents/secretaries of the residential housing societies informing them about the polling booths wherein the residents of the respective societies have to cast their votes.

8000 Such letters were issued.

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Awareness through display of posters and banners

Posters and banners showing the details of polling stations and polling booths were displayed in most of the residential societies and residential cum commercial complexes which created significant awareness among the voters.

8

Roadside Helpdesks

20 roadside helpdesks were installed at various busy locations to help voters in searching their names from the electoral rolls and the details of polling booths.

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Awareness Campaign through FM Radio

Popular FM Radio channel services were utilized to create voters awareness on registration of voters in the electoral rolls.

Prerecorded messages were broadcast during the popular programmes of the channels appealing the voters to get their names registered in the electoral roll.

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Awareness Campaign through Cable TV

Network

Slides and scrolls appealing the viewers to register or verify their names during the electoral rolls revision programme were displayed on cable TV network.

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Awareness Campaign through Cable TV

Network

5 Short plays dramatized by faculty and students of performing arts faculty of MS University were filmed and exhibited through cable TV Network.

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EVM AwarenessDemonstration

Programmes of EVMs were organized at various locations to sensitize the voters on using EVMs to cast their vote.

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EPIC CoverageContinuous efforts

resulted in significant rise of EPIC Coverage.

65

70

75

80

85

90

95

2007 2009

EPIC Coverage

76.82%

90.93%

Voter Turnout(%) during Parliamentary Elections

35

37

39

41

43

45

47

49

51

1999 2004 2009

Voter Turnout41.48 %

39.38 %

49.03 %

Legislative Assembly Election 2007

General Election 2009

No Complaints reported

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