The 2024 elections from many varying perspectives nationwide are seen as unquestionably important for the multiple issues that have been hot topics across India from youth unemployment, corruption, environmental destruction, all the way to communal harmony and democratic backsliding. Millions of young Indians including myself found ourselves having become first time voters. The idea of voting and having a voice in the country we all call home has been an exciting thought amongst me and my friends. However, over the past month, I have noticed some problematic observations that concern a potential problem taking a turn for the worse in the future: voter turnout.
Last month while researching about election data and voter turnout, I was surprised to read headlines of voters refusing to show up to election booths, to small street interviews by youtubers and social media influencers presenting many people aligning to be apolitical. While the privilege of being apolitical here in India deserves attention, I decided to research voter turnout percentage across states. While Voter turnout has risen nationwide from 58% in 2004 to 67% in 2019, in many states there have been disconcerting reports of either voting percentage decreasing, and a rise in percentage in voting for NOTA (none of the above). I remembered many professors on campus urging us as first time voters not to vote for NOTA and looking at various case studies, it is justified as voting also determines the change to our lives in each 5 year interval.
Sometimes this isn’t caused by simple choices but by lack of available time. When the phases were announced, I was shocked to see how very close Phase 1 voting was towards my last exam with only a 2 day break in between both events. I was privileged to be able to cast my vote in Chennai and finish my exams before voting, however for someone from Assam, Nagaland, Uttarakhand, Tripura, Arunachal Pradesh, Southern Tamil Nadu, Jammu Kashmir’s Udhampur, or Chhattisgarh’s Bastar living in Krea, travel is a luxury. This is made impossible when there are exams during the election day. When realising this fact, I felt really bitter. However, the inconvenience was only a scratch in this topic when it comes to the topic of safety.
It gets worse, since the 1990s, there have been cases and allegations of voters particularly from marginalised and ghettoised communities having their voting suppressed or purged, and little legal support to help them. A notable example is contemporary years with many rural regions putting pressure on Dalit, Muslim, and Adivasi voters with threats of violence. As I write, The Quint reported on cases of booth hijacking in Manipur by extremist groups like Arambai Tenggol that disenfranchise Kuki-Zo voters. Voting is made even more risky and unsafe in disturbed regions particularly in regions where there are insurgencies with constant threats of violence such as in Southern Chhattisgarh’s Bastar district.
There are multiple reasons for low percentages. Political reasons such as the voter turnout in the Kashmir valley is a separate case that deserves change from an institutional level. Voting for NOTA and being Apolitical with their reasoning deserves attention on its own with consideration rationale despite a reasonably justified image of NOTA voters and the apolitical wasting their votes. The main focus is citizens who want to vote but can’t because of their unique circumstances. The matter of convenience is fundamental when it comes to elections and something future election commissions should be concerned with. Postal voting in India has been offered as a solution and has been present in India for many years but is limited to the military, police officers, seniors, and government employees and is something that can be considered to be expanded to ordinary citizens.
Another which can resonate more and has been practised in a few countries like Estonia in Eastern Europe is mobile voting. At home, many voters may not be living in their constituency either for education or employment. My father for instance got his voter ID in 1999, but because he was living in Mumbai and because of travel expenses, he couldn’t make it to Chennai, making him like me a first time voter. Despite security concerns, designing plans and mechanisms for mobile voting or voting from home is plausible and can ensure a greater voter turnout rate especially amongst students, businessmen, and especially for the lower to middle class households who may still rely on mediums like internet cafes. For voters displaced and fearing violence, mobile voting and voting by mail can offer safe solutions and alternatives as well, should booths be unsafe or facing threats of hijackings by extremist groups. For voters and citizens living abroad, voting can be conducted either through mobile voting or from embassies and consulates in their countries that can offer an alternative to convenience of voting, many families living abroad including my family who lived abroad in the United kingdom in 2009, and Mexico in 2014 couldn’t vote due to travelling back home being unsurprisingly expensive during that time. At the same time within India, universities should be more considerate towards elections both state and national for their students by providing optional time frames to travel and not scheduling crucial events like examinations during election phases as for many young voters, it would be seen as an attempt to deny the right to vote. In the end, through these mechanisms, it could lead to a greater voter turnout rate. Every citizen irrespective of age, class, caste, faith, gender identity, and profession is entitled to a voice in how their country is run and that is through their vote. In times where there are crucial issues that would determine the livelihoods of millions of people, having greater turnout rates ensure that there is greater trust in the government, more data for policy making, and in terms of sentimental value and appeal, a greater sense of patriotism amongst and as Indians.
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