Participation of the citizens is the true beauty of a democratic nation. 25th January is celebrated as the National Voters Day in India, and the theme of 2022 is “Making Elections Inclusive, Accessible, and Participative”
A political democracy refers to a system in which people are involved in the process of electing their representatives using their votes and participate in the decision making process. Therefore it is extremely crucial that the electoral process should be inclusive, accessible and participative.
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The Universal Adult Franchise has played an integral role in making the elections inclusive. It gives every adult citizen equal rights to vote irrespective of their region, religion, caste, gender, etc. The Adult Franchise that has also been adopted in India, makes equality an imperative part of democracy. Indian democracy has always stood for an inclusive and participative electoral system. The Indian Constitution has granted its citizens the powerful provision to vote their representatives.
According to the International Foundation for Electoral Systems, “Democratic institutions flourish when all groups of society are represented”. Participation of people from different regions and backgrounds is important to make the democracy more representative, especially in a diverse country like India. Therefore steps have been taken to bolster the accessibility of the election provisions, by strengthening the local governments. Local governments not only improve the participation of people in the elections but also empower them at the grassroot level.
The Panchayati Raj system in India is one the most effective examples of making the elections inclusive, participatory and easily accessible. As per the Indian Constitution, the 73rd Amendment Act cites that the Panchayati Raj elections must be held regularly in every 5 years and should constitute a state level Election Commission to conduct free and fair elections at the village level. The Panchayati Raj system is a three tier structure to make it even more representative. The first tier is the Gram Sabha in which the villagers can directly elect their representatives. The representatives further play an important role in the other two tiers, Panchayat Samitis and Zila Parishad.
Similarly, the 74th Constitutional Amendment has paved the way for an elected Urban Local government. This form of local government at the village level helps the people in the remote areas to access their right to vote which will naturally make the democratic leadership more inclusive and participative. Hence strengthening the local government can be a great stepping stone towards making the democratic elections stronger.
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| image by Wokandapix, Pixabay |
Well informed and aware citizens can contribute to make the elections more inclusive. Dissemination of accurate information to all the eligible voters is also another step to increase the participation. The United Nations state that voters must understand their rights and responsibilities, and must be sufficiently knowledgeable and well informed to cast votes that are legally valid and to participate meaningfully in the election process. Voter education refers to the awareness and accurate information about the functioning and specifics of the particular elections being conducted.
In order to strengthen the inclusive nature of elections, it is important to make all the sections of society aware about their rights. It is especially crucial in the case of young adults who are the first time voters. They should be well informed about the procedures to go ahead and cast their vote as well as know the importance of voting in a democracy. They should be encouraged to step up and use their right to vote efficiently and as a tool of nation development.
With the development of technology, Information and Communication technology has also come into play as a tool to ensure good governance. Thus technology has also promoted the dissemination of information regarding elections and has made the citizens more aware. According to the Election Commission of India, the Systematic Voter’s Education and Electoral Participation Program (SVEEP) is an initiative to spread voter awareness. The key aim of the initiative is to build a participative democracy by helping the citizens to take informed decisions during elections. It targets people of different backgrounds, cultures, socio-economic profiles, etc.
Without the electoral literacy among the voters, they can be influenced by the religious, regional or any other biases while voting. Lack of information about voting rights can also reduce the participation of people in the voting process. Therefore informed decisions made by people during elections can help in building a meaningful participation of people in the democracy.
Another initiative in this direction is the recently launched mobile app by the Election Commission of India, called ‘Know your Candidate’. According to the Election Commission, the app helps the citizens to gather information about the particular candidate before voting. It also gives details about the ‘Criminal Antecedents’ status of the candidates. It helps them to make a deeply informed decision and mark their participation in democracy responsibly. It also promotes transparency in the electoral process which is another crucial feature to promote democracy.
There is also another such initiative known as the “Voter Helpline”. According to the Election Commission of India, the voters can find their names in the electoral roll, submit online forms, check the status of their voter application or even file complaints in case of any problems. It also helps to contact the Booth level officers, District election officers, and the Electoral registration officers. All these digital facilities make the elections easily accessible and encourage people to vote responsibly.
Citizen’s participation is the primary pillar of democracy. The day of voting should not be treated as a mere holiday by the citizens. It is a day that celebrates the role of citizenry in a democracy. Thus, the process of casting a vote should not be skipped by the citizens.
Democracy has given citizens the most powerful right, that is the right to choose their leaders. It is every citizen’s duty to utilize this right as a tool to develop the nation and ensure the welfare of all the citizens by electing the leaders responsibly. Democracy is the form of government that is “of the people, for the people and by the people.” Accessible and inclusive electoral process would go meaningless without the participation of people in it. Therefore people should exercise their voting rights and make well informed decisions.