Eligibility and process for Lok Sabha elections 2024 – News18 ಕನ್ನಡ Achi-News

New Delhi (March 26): All political parties across the country are gearing up for the Lok Sabha elections. Voters are also gearing up for electing candidates in Lok Kan. Voters who cannot vote in the polling booth will be able to vote by postal ballot.

The Election Commission of India has announced that voters are eligible to vote through postal ballots in the upcoming Lok Sabha Elections 2024 and State Assembly Elections. Indian citizens who are eligible to vote can vote through postal ballots when they cannot attend their polling station.

What are postal votes?

Postal votes, also known as mail-in votes. Allow registered voters to vote by post rather than physically going to the polling station. Acts as a convenient alternative to emancipation for individuals who cannot vote in person. A postal vote can be cast when the voter is away from the polling station and a voter facing a disability can also cast a postal vote.

Who is eligible to vote by post?

Service Constituencies: Members of the armed forces, paramilitary forces and government employees working away from their constituencies. They are eligible to vote by postal ballot.

Absentee Voters: People who are unable to vote in person due to work commitments, illness, disability can also vote in this process.

Voters on Voting Duty: Government officials and polling staff have assigned duties at polling stations other than their constituency polling stations. They can vote by postal vote. Voters in Custody: This opportunity is available to people who are detained under detention orders during the election period.

Media holding official letters from the EC and those involved in essential services like metros, railways and health services will have the option to vote using postal ballots in Lok Sabha and four state assembly elections.

In October 2019, the Ministry of Law and Justice amended the Conduct of Elections Rules, 1961. It also lowered the voting age from 85 to 80 and allowed Persons with Disabilities (PwDs) to vote through postal ballots in the 2020 Delhi Assembly elections.

Application for a postal vote

To apply for a postal vote, eligible voters should apply for Form 12D to their constituency’s Returning Officer. The application should include personal details, voter identification information and the reason for requesting a postal vote. RO checks the eligibility, if the criteria are met, approval is given to run the postal vote.

For service electors, the RO postal ballot is sent directly through the Registry or through the Ministry of External Affairs for armed forces electors serving outside India. For the elderly, the date and time of the official visit will be notified to the voters via SMS. A team of two polling officers, a videographer and a security officer will visit the voter’s home to collect votes.

What is the postal voting process?

1. To receive the postal vote, once it has been approved, the Returning Officer will send the postal vote including the ballot paper, the declaration form, an envelope to the registered address of the voter.

2. In order to ensure the confidentiality of the vote, the voters will mark the candidate of their choice confidentially on the ballot paper.
3. Voters fill in the declaration form giving their signature and other relevant details.

4. Voters keep the marked ballot paper and declaration form sealed confidentially in a prepaid return envelope.
5. The voter posts the return envelope to the specified address within the specified time.

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Count postal votes

Postal votes are counted separately from votes cast at polling stations. Postal officials collect the postal ballot papers and bring them to the counting center on counting day. The Returning Officer and Election Officers will check the validity and accuracy of the postal votes, adding the valid votes to the respective candidate’s vote count.

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