The Election Commission of India (ECI) is launching a ‘Special Drive to enrol left out electors, with a special focus on first time electors from July 1so as to move in the direction of Commission’s motto that ‘No Voter To Be Left Behind’.
In order to reach out to maximum eligible voters, the ECI is collaborating with Facebook to launch first nationwide “Voter Registration Reminder,” With over 180 million people in India on Face book, the ‘Register Now’ button is designed to encourage Indian citizens to register themselves with the Election Commission of India. On 1st July, a notification of the “voter registration reminder” will be sent to people on Facebook in India who are eligible to vote. The reminder will be sent out in 13 Indian languages – English, Hindi, Gujarati, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Kannada, Punjabi, Bengali, Urdu, Assamese, Marathi and Oriya.
This is the first time Facebook’s voter registration reminder has been rolled out across India. In 2016 and 2017, Chief Electoral Officers made such efforts at state level during their respective state elections.
By clicking on the “Register Now” button on Facebook from 1st July 2017, people will be directed to the National Voters’ Services Portal (www.nvsp.in) which will guide them through the registration process.
Speaking about nationwide launch of “Voter Registration Reminder,” Chief Election Commissioner Dr Nasim Zaidi said, “I am pleased to announce that the Election Commission of India is launching a ‘Special Drive to enrol left out electors, with a special focus on first time electors This is a step towards fulfilment of the motto of ECI that ‘No Voter To Be Left Behind’. As part of this campaign, on 1st July, Facebook will run a voter registration reminder in multiple Indian languages to all the Facebook users in India. I urge all eligible citizens to enrol and Vote i.e Recognize your Right and Perform your Duty. I am sure this initiative will strengthen Election Commission of India’s enrolment campaign and encourage future voters to participate in the Electoral Process and become responsible Citizens of India.”
Commenting on scheduled launch of “Voter Registration Reminder” by Facebook for the first time in India, Ankhi Das, Facebook’s Public Policy Director for India, South & Central Asia, said, “People use Face book to learn, talk and get involved with issues that matter to them. We want to build engagements that support this type of civic engagement – on Election Day and every day. We believe that democracies are stronger when more people are engaged – that’s why we are encouraging everyone who is eligible to register to vote and connecting them with resources.” (INN)